The Life of Harry Potter
by CrystalIceSweet
Summary: In which Harry Potter is an overworked accountant for SI; in which Tony is Tony, unintentionally making life hell for the accounting department; In which there is a meeting that would change their life forever. Avengers, Gods, Cursed artifacts, Ancient magic, Soulmates, Deathly Hallows and a potential new Dark Lord on the rising; this is the beginning of a new era. Slash HPTS.
1. In which Harry wants a change of scenery

**Title: Harry Potter, CPA**

* * *

 **Summary** : In which Harry Potter is an overworked accountant for Stark Industries; in which Tony is Tony, unintentionally making life hell for the accounting department; In which there is a confrontation that would change their life forever. Avengers, Gods, Ancient magic, Soulmates, Deathly Hallows and a potential new Dark Lord on the rising; this is the beginning of a new era. Slash. TS/HP.

 **Alternative** **Summary** : With wounds still fresh from his time on the Auror Force, Harry Potter decides to leave the Wizarding World for a while in pursuit of a calmer life. His journey takes him to the US, where he attends muggle university and acquires an accountancy degree. Then everything changes when he lands a job as a junior accountant with Stark Industries. Slash. TS/HP.

* * *

 **Warning** : None of the dates are canon. This is an AU and will be Slash. Please proceed with caution.

* * *

 **Chapter 1** **In which Harry wants a change of scenery**

* * *

 ** _London, June 24th 2013_**

"Come in."

Harry James Potter pushed open the wooden doors leading to Kingsley's private office and grinned when he saw the man sitting behind his desk, looking as harried as always. Judging by what he knew of the Ministry as of late, the man was probably only running on a few hours of sleep and bucket loads of Pepper Up potion to keep himself upright and somewhat functional.

"Sir," he greeted the man warmly, taking the offered seat without another word. He felt a little bad for what he was about to do, but it has to be done; sooner rather than later.

"Auror Potter," Kingsley sighed, rubbing his eyes, "To what do I owe this unexpected pleasure?"

 _Shall he go straight to the point? Mmm…maybe not; don't want to give the poor man a heart attack._

"Hermione came to visit me the other day and we got discussing about my future," he said instead.

"Your future," Kingsley said wearily, obviously unsure of where this was leading.

"My future," Harry confirmed, "My career to be more precise. I think it's time for me to…move on."

Kingsley looked pained at that.

"Are you trying to tell me something Potter?"

Harry smiled pleasantly.

"Indeed I am," he said, taking out piece of parchment from his bag and placing it in front of Kingsley, "My resignation letter."

"Oh Merlin," Kingsley moaned pitifully, "Can this week get any worse?"

"If it makes things better," Harry offered helpfully, "I made sure that my replacement is up to par with the high standards required by the position of Head Auror."

"A little," Kingsley admitted, still grimacing, "What are you planning to do after this?"

Harry leaned back in his seat, his gaze wandering past Kingsley to the beautiful tableau being London on a rare sunny and cloudless summer day.

"I was thinking of going to University," he said absentmindedly, eyes tracking the progress of a small bird as it fluttered around, "Stay in the muggle world for a while."

"That won't be a problem," Kingsley sighed, "We can get you all the fake credentials you need."

Harry inclined his head in thanks.

"I'm much obliged to you," he told him formally.

Kingsley passed a tired hand over his bald head.

"Where are you intending to go?"

"Oh?" said Harry, eyes widening innocently, "Not trying to get me to stay?"

"Will that work?" the older man asked hopefully.

Harry laughed easily.

"No, I'm glad you didn't try. As for where; I'm thinking of going to the States for a while; see how the people overseas lives."

"Why would you want to go there? From what I heard, it's a mess, what with the terrorist attacks and the alien attacks. The Avengers and the local police force are doing their best, but crazies just keeps popping up."

"Sounds fascinating," Harry shrugged, "I'll keep out of trouble's way."

"Not likely," Kinsley snorted, "There's another thing that you should remember; New York is Nick Fury's territory."

Harry remembered Fury; they had met a few years ago at Harry's Knighting ceremony. The man was scarily competent in his field and has made no effort to hide his desire to recruit Harry in to his organization.

"I'll take my chances," the young man shrugged, gaze flitting back to Kingsley.

"What about your friends? What do they think about your decision?"

"Hermione is happy that I'm giving the muggle world a try even though she obviously doesn't understand my decision. Ron thinks I must be having a mid-life crisis or something. Neville has been really supportive so far. Ginny…well, she'll be sad to see me go, but she assured me she'll live."

"If they are all alright with it, all I can do is wish you good luck on your next great adventure."

Harry laughed.

"Now you sound just like Dumbledore. I'm not dying, you know. If you miss me that much, you can just firecall me."

"May I firecall you if I need your help?"

A shrug.

"If you really need my help," Harry allowed generously, "But otherwise, please refrain. Keep in mind that I'm retired now."

Kingsley looked down at the resignation letter with a resigned expression.

"Don't remind me."

Harry got up, dusting invisible lint off his pristine Aurors robe.

"I'll be taking my leave then," he said, "A lot of packing to do. I still have to find myself a nice little apartment in New York; maybe get myself some roommates."

This made Kingsley look up, surprise written all over his features.

"I know, I know," Harry said, waving a hand dismissively, "Ron was surprised too and couldn't understand why I didn't simply buy a house in New York. I'll tell you what I told him. I may have the financial resources to do so, but that doesn't mean I would want to. Experiencing how the other half lived will be good for me; keep me humble."

"You," Kingsley looked at him intently, "Are one of the weirdest person I have ever met. And considering the society I live in, that is saying something."

Harry chuckled, no longer bothered by being different. He has long learned to embrace his own little quirks instead of trying to repress them in a misguided attempt to fit in.

"I think I took up enough of your time already Sir," he said smoothly, moving to the door, "I'll leave you to your work."

"Harry," Kingsley called out just as he was about to turn the door knob.

Harry turned.

"Don't be a stranger," the older man said, gaze soft.

"I won't," Harry promised, "I'll be back. I still have my obligations as Lord Potter-Black."

With that said, he turned on his heels and left the room.

It was time to turn to a new page and start a new chapter. Harry couldn't wait.

 **TBC**


	2. In which Harry experiences student life

**Chapter 2 In which Harry experiences life as a (broke) University student**

* * *

 ** _New York, September 12th 2013_**

There was a rat in the bathroom.

"Kyle," he called out, hoping his roommate was home.

"Yeah?" came the reply a few seconds later.

"Do you know why there is a rat in the bathroom?"

Silence then the sound of footsteps growing louder and louder. Soon Harry felt Kyle's presence behind him.

"Oh wow, dude," Kyle said, sounding absolutely horrified, "How did that get there?"

The rat stared at them with its beady eyes, unmoving. Judging by how well-fed it looked, it was probably a regular visitor to their little apartment.

"This," said Harry, "is gross."

"You can say that again," Kyle muttered, turning to go, "Shall I call the exterminator?"

"Do we have the money to call an exterminator?" Harry asked, determined not to go back on his word and start dipping in to his accounts at Gringotts. He was going to survive this even if it killed him…or give him an infection.

"I have a 20$ from last week," Kyle replied, followed by a triumphant yell. "I found the Yellow Pages."

"Why don't you just use the laptop?" Harry asked, closing the door to the bathroom behind him to prevent the rat from escaping.

"Dude," Kyle said, "I hate technology."

"You do," Harry deadpanned, "Then can you stop using it to watch porn?"

"Just because you are getting some doesn't mean I'm as lucky," his roommate replied bitterly. He was still getting over his breakup with his then girlfriend Emily.

"If it helps," Harry offered, "I'm thinking of breaking it of with Laura."

This made Kyle pause.

"Really?" he asked in confusion, "Why?"

Harry smirked.

"I finally met her brother last week and let me just say he's more my type."

"And you sure he's interested?" Kyle asked, not even blinking at Harry's words. His bisexuality was already old news to his friends.

"He spent the entire meal undressing me with his eyes so yeah, I'm pretty sure he's interested."

Kyle made a noise of disgust.

"Keep your fantasies to yourself Potter," he groaned, before flipping the pages quickly to find what he was looking for.

"Not fantasies," Harry corrected, coming over to sit next to Kyle.

Kyle ignored him.

It took another minute for him to find what he was looking for.

"Go see if we have any food left for tonight," Kyle told him as he started dialing the number. Harry went, smiling all the way.

* * *

The fridge was empty.

"The fridge's empty," he called out, frowning at a suspicious brown liquid leaking from one of the upper shelves, "And it needs cleaning."

"It's your turn," Kyle immediately replied, "Try to find something for us to eat. I'm still on hold."

Harry bit his lips in thought. There really wasn't anything edible in his immediate vicinity so their only choice was either get drunk and try to forget about their hunger or go out. Harry personally voted for the latter.

He was about to propose going out to a local pub when his cellphone rang.

"Hello?" he said, picking it up on the second ring.

"Harry!" Hermione's voice filtered through. She sounded excited.

"Hello Hermione," he said, smiling despite himself. It was good to hear her voice. "How may I help you?"

"Oh Harry," she gushed, "I have fantastic news. I just got permission from the Ministry to commercialize a modified version of the Pepper Up potion in the muggle world."

"That's wonderful!" Harry exclaimed, grin growing even larger, "Does that mean Potter Pharmaceuticals can start production soon?"

Upon graduation from Hogwarts, Harry and Hermione had the idea of modifying common Wizarding potions to get them fit to use for muggles. With the help of some friends, they managed to set up Potter Pharmaceuticals, through which the resulting products will be sold. Their biggest hurdle up to date had been to get the ministry to approve their initiative. Now with that done, they were free to move on to convincing the muggle government.

"I'll keep you updated on my progress," Hermione said, "But with your name behind this initiative, I don't think we'll have a lot of problems."

"Thanks Hermione," Harry told her, "You're the best."

They talked a few minutes more about Harry's life in New York before she had to go. He had just hung up when Kyle came in to the room, looking dejected.

"I called 5 places and the cheapest price they were willing to offer was 50. I agreed because we don't have a choice, but it looks like we'll going to have to eat instant noodles for the next few weeks."

"Talking about food," Harry grimaced, "We really have to eat out today."

Kyle groaned.

"I hate being broke."

Harry refrained himself from grinning at his friend's antics.

 **TBC**


	3. In which Harry interviews for SI

**Chapter 3 In which Harry interviews for Stark Industries**

* * *

 ** _New York, February 1st 2016_**

"Hello?" Harry said, trying to keep his phone from slipping and his coffee from spilling.

"Good afternoon," came a professional sounding female voice, "I'm Catherine Yu, from Stark Industries. How are you Mr. Potter?"

"I'm great," Harry said, finally managing to get his cup on to the kitchen counter, "How may I help you?"

"I'm calling regarding your job application," Catherine continued, "You have been chosen for an interview with a member of our HR department. What are your availabilities?"

Harry thought for a second. He wanted to say anytime this week, but didn't want to seem to eager.

"Tomorrow will be great," he finally said. After the firm he had been working with since graduation declared bankrupt, Harry had been trying to find another job to fill the void.

"Fantastic," Catherine said, "I'll pencil you in for 2. Is that ok?"

"Yes," Harry replied, "Thank you."

"Please come to the 14th floor and you'll be directed to where the interview will take place. I wish you luck Mr. Potter and hopefully we will see you soon as a member of the Stark Industries Family."

Harry hung up, unable to resist the smile.

"Good news?"

Harry turned to find his boyfriend of 4 weeks standing on the threshold, dressed in nothing but a pair of form fitting jeans that hung low on his hips. Dylan looked good, but truthfully, he always looked good. With his messy brown hair and soulful blue eyes, Dylan could easily be a model if he desired to do so.

"Very good news," Harry said, greeting him with a chaste kiss on the lips, "I have an interview with Stark Industries tomorrow."

"That's wonderful," Dylan said, smiling at him, "But you don't have to work on my account. I don't mind paying for both our needs."

Dylan was a trust-fund baby and liked to believe himself Harry's sugar daddy. Harry, of course, never played in to his fantasy, preferring to stay independent. He liked Dylan and he liked the spacious apartment he now shared with his lover, but that was the extent of what he allowed Dylan to do.

"If you're sure," the other sighed, giving up the fight.

Harry smiled easily.

"Shall we celebrate my good fortune?" he let his voice drop in to a husky murmur, pulling his lover closer by his belt loops and was gratified when Dylan's eyes darkened.

"I thought you would never ask."

* * *

The next day, Harry smiled at the receptionist manning the front desk at Stark Industries HQ.

"Hi," he said, "I'm here for my interview."

"Of course," the receptionist nodded and gestured for him to step in to a side room where 10 other people were already waiting. They were all dressed to the nines in their crisp dark suit and all looking nervous as hell.

"Hi," said a black haired girl with crystal blue eyes, coming over to greet him. "Names Katy, nice to meet you."

"It's nice to meet you too," Harry replied, shaking her hand.

"I hear the job's here is pretty tough," another girl chimed in, coming over to join them, "I'm Chris by the way. My brother worked here before me but he quit after 2 month. Wouldn't tell anyone eye either. He tried to dissuade me when I told him I was applying for a position, but there was no way I was listening to someone who liked to put wasabi on his toast."

Harry made a face at that. He had tried wasabi once, when his friends had brought him to a Japanese restaurant for his birthday and if there was one thing he could say about that thing, was that it needed to stay as far away from him as possible.

"Things' are better with Ms. Potts as CEO," a brown haired man supplied as he walked over to their little group. He was dressed extremely formally in a suit that fitted him like a glove. Harry had never been much of a fashion buff but even he could tell that it must have cost a small fortune.

"Ms. Potts? Yes," said Katy, nodding her head, "I heard Mr. Stark handed her the reigns; how lucky…one day she was just a personal assistant and the next, she was the CEO of a multi-billion-dollar company."

Harry grimaced internally. Lucky was not how he would describe the situation.

"When Mr. Stark had been CEO," the brown haired man continued, without even introducing himself, "the accounting department would tear their collective hair out come tax season. Now that Ms. Potts is in control, there are less "frivolous" expenses charged to the company account."

"I heard Mr. Stark liked to buy out hotels that don't offer him adequate service," Katy piped in, eyes sparkling.

"A billionaire with more money than common sense," Chris admitted, "As much I admire what Mr. Stark had accomplished, he doesn't always makes the best choices when it comes to money."

"Well," Katy pursed her lips, "That happens when you're literally the richest man on earth."

 _Not true_ , Harry thought to himself. Tony Stark may be one of the richest man among muggles, but he was nothing in the Wizarding World. With conversion rates as high as one Galleon for 100 US dollars, Tony Stark's "fortune" was just a drop in the ocean. Even the Malfoy Family – whose bank account had severely diminished after the war – could match the billionaire in terms of wealth. But of course, with the Status of Secrecy still firmly in place, Harry couldn't exactly say that. Instead, he just smiled and nodded, trying not to feel too self conscious.

Truth be told, Harry hated social gatherings with people he didn't know. Sure he can fake it with the best of them – and he had to when it comes to hosting balls and parties as the current Lord Potter-Black – but he had never enjoyed it. Hermione had once told him that if nothing else works out, he could try his luck at acting. Harry took that as a compliment. But no matter how comfortable he seemed making his way around in a crowded ballroom, he can never brush off his inherent ability to put his foot in his mouth when he was forced to make small talk. In consequence, Harry tended to keep his mouth shut.

They talked for a few minutes more as they waited for their names to be called. Finally, a young woman with bright green eyes and an even brighter smile came in to the room.

"Mr. Potter?"

Harry said goodbye to the group and went to her.

"I'm Gwen," she shook his hand before telling him to follow him. Surprisingly, she didn't lead him to an interview room, instead giving him a quick tour of the premises.

"May I ask just how many people you are interviewing for this position?" he asked as he and Gwen walked.

"Around 10," was the reply. Harry was surprised. For a such a good paying job at such a big company, he wondered why no more people were being interviewed.

"Are you doing any other interviews this week?" Harry asked his guide.

"No," Gwen replied. "Today's the only day."

The fact that his interview had only lasted 5 minutes and the fact that all the interviewees were offered the position on the spot should had told Harry that something was up.

Unfortunately for Harry, he had never had a developed sense of self-preservation.

 **TBC**


	4. In which Harry is Lord Potter-Black

**Chapter 4 In which Harry is Lord Potter-Black**

* * *

 _ **20th February 2016, London**_

For the first time in a long time, Potter Manor was decorated to the nines in honor of the upcoming festivities. The Starlight Ball was a Wizarding tradition that no one had any choice in; it was a 6 hours event held on the last day of February where all the "who's who" of the Wizarding world and the leaders of the Muggle world who are in the know, would attend. No one really knew how the whole affair had started but it was here and here to stay.

As tradition dictated, the honor of being the host of the ball circulated from Family to Family. Last year, the Malfoys were "lucky" enough to be chosen. This year, it was the House of Black's turn.

"I still say we should have just hired someone to take care of this," Harry grumbled to Hermione as he looked over yet another menu.

"Harry," Hermione chided him softly, "It's tradition for the Lady of the House to be in charge of all preparations and since you are not married, the duty falls upon you."

"But you're muggleborn," Harry whined, "Why in Merlin's name are you so uptight about these sort of thing."

"Oh shush," Hermione said, hitting him lightly on the arm, "Tradition is tradition and you have broken enough of them by going off to New York. How's that going by the way?"

Harry paused for a second to think of a suitable answer.

"Weird," he finally settled on.

"How can accounting work be weird?" Hermione asked in confusion, "From what I read, it's all the same accounts over and over again."

"Well, Stark Industries isn't normal by any account," he told her…

 **Flashback**

 _The last thing Harry expected when coming in to work on Monday was a shouting match between Chris and Katy. The two girls had been getting along just fine and hadn't shown any signs of animosity before today. He wondered what had caused such a change._

 _"It's a joke," Katy was saying as Harry pushed open the door, "I'm sure it is! A hazing ritual. We should just ignore it."_

 _"We can't just ignore it," Chris protested, waving a piece of paper around, "What if it's real? We'll get in to trouble."_

 _"What's wrong?" Harry interrupted, making both girls turn to him._

 _"Harry!" Chris exclaimed, jumping up from her seat and handing him a piece of paper, "What do you think we should do with this?"_

 _Harry looked down and started to read. It was an expense report – a 10 000$ purchase from HKS Farms for…_

 _"20 sheep!?"_

 _"It's a joke," Katy insisted, crossing her arms in annoyance. "We'll wasting time debating about this."_

 _Harry frowned unsure what to do._

 _Luckily, the door opened then and Martin came in, probably attracted by the noise._

 _"Martin!" he exclaimed, handing over the paper, "Is this for real?"_

 _The man read the content before an expression of utter amusement crossed his face._

 _"I can't believe it took you guys so long to get to one of these," he said._

 _"It's a joke right?" Katy insisted._

 _"Oh no," Martin replied with a smirk, "It's real alright. This, ladies and gentleman, is what we here have dubbed a Stark Expense."_

 **End of Flashback**

"Sheep, really?" Hermione repeated with a laugh, "What in Merlin's name is that all about?"

"Apparently it's Avengers business," Harry explained, "You remember that groups of Superheroes from a few month ago."

"I do," Hermione nodded.

"Well, Mr. Stark keeps forgetting that he can't continue to charge expenses incurred while "saving the world" to the company account. When Ms. Potts doesn't notice, things like this happen."

"Is that the last time it happened?" Hermione asked, intrigued.

"Oh no," Harry answered with a pained groan, "Dealing with those things are a pain in the neck. I have half a mind to go find Mr. Stark myself to tell him just how difficult he's making our job."

"You should," Hermione told him seriously and Harry laughed.

"Come on," he said, turning his attention back to the menu, "Let's not worry about that right now. We have a party to plan."

* * *

"I'm surprised Potter," said a snide voice, making Harry tense slightly, "I thought for sure you would have messed up."

"Malfoy," Harry said evenly, forcing a smile on to his face. They weren't school children anymore. Harry couldn't exactly hex him, no matter how much he would enjoy it.

"Draco," a female voice chided and Harry found his smile become more natural as he took in the beautiful figure of Malfoy's wife, Astoria Greengrass. How such a sweet, unassuming beauty could end up with a cold hearted beast like Malfoy was anyone's guess. Maybe rumours about an arranged marriage was true.

"It's lovely to see you again Astoria," Harry smiled at her and kissed the back of her hand, a move that he had practiced enough for it to become natural.

"It's good to see you too," Astoria replied serenely, "I heard that you started working for Stark Industries."

"Yes," Harry confirmed, eyes widening a little. He was more then a little surprised that Astoria - the epitome of the Pureblood princess - knew about the muggle world.

"How is that going?" Astoria asked, looking sincerely interested.

"Astoria," Malfoy interjected before Harry could answer, "This really isn't the time. We have socializing to do."

Astoria rolled her eyes - a move so out of character that Harry actually choked a little.

"Of course dear," she replied, taking his arm without another comment. Harry watched them go with amusement.

Barely a minute after the Malfoys departure, Minister Shane and Minister Taylor (from the Muggle side) made their appearance.

"Wonderful, wonderful party," Shane boomed. He was a tall man with greying hair, who loved his food as much as he loved talking about his precious daughter.

"Thank you Prime Minister," Harry answered smoothly, shaking both men's hands, "Will her Majesty come tonight?" he asked the Muggle Prime Minister. It wasn't uncommon for the Queen to drop by during these sort of events, but the security detail planning it entailed was a bloody nightmare.

"She is," the Minister confirmed, "As will as Prince Harry and Prince William."

"Oh really?" Harry repeated, eyes wide. That was a first. While the British Royal Family technically ruled over the Magic realm of Britain as well as the Muggle one, the young heirs to the throne, Harry and William, had never stepped foot anywhere magical. This would be the first time they would attend a party where wizards were present in majority.

"At the Queen's request," the Prime Minister said, answering the unasked question.

Harry nodded politely at that.

They talked a few minutes after that before someone caught Prime Minister Shane's eye and the man left to go say hello to the person who had hailed him.

"I heard you got a new job with Stark Industries," the muggle PM commented after Shane had left.

"Does everyone know?" Harry chuckled ruefully, "Yes I did."

"Must be tiring," Taylor shook his head, "Have you met Mr. Stark in person yet?"

"No," Harry answered, "I think he's in California at the moment."

"He's coming to NY soon, or at least, that's what I heard. He's an interesting man, that Tony Stark. I can't say if you'll like him or not, but you won't forget him, that's for sure."

"A prodigy, isn't he?" Harry said. He remembered reading about Stark when he researched Stark Industries, "Graduated MIT at 15. Must be tough on him. I have a feeling he didn't have a happy childhood."

"You can say that again," Taylor replied darkly, "Howard Stark may be a lot of things, but a good father he was not."

Harry wanted to ask more, but Taylor had shut down and had moved the conversation to another topic until he too was hailed away.

Harry sighed, looking around the room before deciding to make a few rounds before getting a drink. He wondered just how early he can start kicking people out without being rude. He had to get up early tomorrow so he can return to New York.

* * *

At exactly 15 past 8, the trumpets sounded; the melody of a familiar song drafting across the crowded ballroom.

"The Queen is here," Harry's current conversation companion said, turning his attention to the double doors of the entrance. Harry did the same, watching in anticipation for them to open and admit the monarch in question.

Truth be told, no one in the Wizarding world really knew how to treat Queen Elizabeth. On one hand, the position of the British Monarch had been given the power to rule over Magical Britain by Merlin himself. On the other hand, the Queen was a muggle and should really have no business dealing with Wizards. Harry himself didn't really have an opinion on the matter, and is grateful that no one radically opposed to the Queen's position has made themselves known just yet. He liked the Queen, having met her when he had received his Victoria Cross some time ago. She was like a grandmother; sweet and smiling, but at the same time strong-willed and nurturing. He hadn't really met the princes though; in Harry's opinion, catching a glimpse of them at the back of the room during his ceremony wasn't exactly meeting them.

The door to the room finally swung open and two burly secret agents stepped through, their pressed black suits making them stand out amongst the other guests. They were part of the Queen's special task force; wizards who are tasked to protect the Queen 24/7.

The two agents surveyed the room, taking in everything at once. When they were satisfied with their inspection, they stepped aside to let the guest of honor to enter.

Despite her old age, Queen Elizabeth II looked as spirited as ever, sprouting a pink ensemble that should have made her look ridiculous. Behind her, dressed in military garbs, were her two grandsons. Princes Harry and William looked rather nervous in Harry's opinion but was hiding it well. However, the way the younger Prince's hands were twitching sort of give it away.

"Excuse me," Harry told his companion before starting to make his way towards the front of the crowd. It was his duty as host to welcome them and get them settled.

"Your Majesty," he greeted her when he was close enough, "It's wonderful to see you again."

"Young Lord Potter," the Queen smiled at him, "You did a wonderful job with the party."

"Thank you," Harry bowed his head, blushing slightly at her praise. "I see the His Highnesses have decided to come tonight."

The two princes took that as a cue to step forward; William first, and extended their hands.

"Lord Potter," said the older Prince, "I've heard a great deal about you."

"All good I hope," he said easily, shaking his hands before doing the same with Harry.

"Is it true you're working for Stark Industries now?" Prince Harry asked somewhat eagerly, making Harry blink.

"Yes," he replied hesitantly, wondering just why the other man was interested in where he was working.

"I've always admired Stark," Prince Harry said brightly, "If I hadn't been born Prince, I would have wanted to become an engineer."

"If you hadn't been born so hopeless in math, you mean," Prince William interjected, their brotherly banter a breath of fresh air for Harry.

"Now, now boys," the Queen chided, but with a fond smile, "This is not the place."

When both looked properly chastened, the Queen turned back to Harry and indicated for him to get on with his welcome.

Harry led the Queen around the room, introducing her to some of the most notable magical dignitaries. The two Princes followed, eyes wide as they took in the floating chandeliers and dancing ice statue in the corner. Harry knew that they must be itching to take out their cellphones to film the whole thing. Unfortunately for them, the amount of magic in the air would have fried their electronics in a second flat.

When the Queen was properly settled in deep conversation with the Muggle Prime Minister and some high ups in the Muggle Relations department at the Ministry, Harry took his leave – or was about to when Prince Harry intercepted him.

"Have you met the Avengers yet? In person I mean," he asked.

"Your Highness, is it possible you are a superhero fan?" he asked the 30 years old.

"It's just that Britain never had these sort of thing," he said sheepishly, "My brother finds it all really foolish because he's all responsible now that he got married and has two children."

"I don't think that should deter anyone from liking superheroes," Harry assured him, "And no, I haven't met the Avengers, but I have seen their work."

"Oh?"

"Yes," Harry grimaced, "I can't really say anything too specific, but Tony Stark tends to submit any expenses he incurred during his other day job to the Stark Industries account. Trying to properly account for things like 10 Million for a destroyed building downtown, is a headache of the Accounting department."

Prince Harry laughed at that.

"I can see the problem," he said, "I had wondered once how he was financing his missions."

"Have you met Stark?" Harry asked curiously.

"No," Prince Harry admitted, "William had at one point, I think. He told me Stark was difficult to describe."

"That I believe," Harry replied, "As I was saying to a friend of mine, I have half a mind to fly to California to knock some sense in to that man. It seems sometimes that he's doing everything in his power to make the Accounting department tear their collective hair out. There's about 2 month left until the true start of tax season and I'm already having nightmares about it."

Another laugh from the other man was his only reply.

 **TBC**


	5. In which Harry had enough

**Chapter 5 In which Harry had enough**

* * *

 ** _1st March 2016, New York_**

Katy seethed. Chris whimpered.

"Oh for…" Harry muttered, before stepping in, closing the door loudly to attract their attention. "What's going on?"

"Have you seen the news? Someone called the Avengers to Central Park yesterday night and let's just say whatever threat they found hadn't been dealt with minimal collateral damage."

"I'm grateful that they're doing everything they can to save people but can't they try to not destroy so many buildings?" Chris whined.

"The other teams are still knee deep in past expense reports," Katy informed him, "So we are the lucky bastards who gets to deal with this whole mess. I tried talking to Martin about contacting Ms. Potts about this, but he said that he wasn't about to contact the CEO for something so trivial! Trivial! Can you believe that man!?"

"I can," Harry mumbled and took a seat next to Katy. "Alright, let's see…10 Million for a destroyed office building when the Hulk crashed in to it; 1 Million for parked cars Iron Man used as a projectiles; and…10000$ for psychiatric counseling when Captain America took off his…" he stopped eyes wide.

"Yeah," Chris sighed, "That's what it says."

"Ok," Harry snapped, "This is the last straw. If the other accountants are too chicken to confront Mr. Stark about this, I am."

"You are?" Katy asked, a mixture of apprehension and excitement coloring her tone.

"Yeah," Harry confirmed. Tony Stark was nothing compared to Voldemort. And besides, what's the worse that can happen? If he gets fired, he'll just go find another job or go back to Britain. He has enough money to live like a king for the rest of his life. "Rumors has it he's coming to New York. I'm going to talk to Martin to set up a meeting."

Determined, he stood up and left for his supervisor's office.

* * *

Martin was understandably shocked.

"You want to do…what!?" Martin said, eyes wide with disbelief, "You do know that you are only a first year employee, right? You'll get fired over this."

"And I don't care about that," Harry said soothingly, smile firmly on his face, "I want to do what's right. Mr. Stark may be the owner of this company but he does not have the right to treat us like this."

"Yeah, it kind of does," Martin pointed out and Harry sighed.

"Look," he said, "I promise that I won't involve anyone else in this. If you get me that meeting, I'll say it's all my idea and the others were against it. And if I get fired, I'll be the only one to get fired."

"Well," Martin said after a while, "I'll see what I can do."

 **TBC**


	6. In which Harry and Hermione bond

**Chapter 6 In which Harry bonds with Hermione**

* * *

 ** _1st March 2016, New York, Harry's/Dylan's Apartment_**

"…And this just got in. Rumours about Tony Stark's return to New York has been circulating for some time now, but truthfully, no one had given it a lot of credence. However, we just received confirmation from our source that Mr. Stark was seen exiting the terminal at JFK airport and is heading back to his penthouse. The reasons behind Mr. Stark's visit is a mystery but one might theorize that it's to take a break from his other day job as a superhero…"

"What in Merlin's name are you watching?" Harry asked, taking a seat on the sofa next to Hermione, "And what are you doing here? Not that I'm not happy to see you."

"I have a meeting in New York with a new prospective client," Hermione replied with a big smile, "So I thought I would drop by and say hello. Too bad your boyfriend's not here."

 _So not sorry for that..._

"Sorry I can't entertain you today," Harry said regretfully as he readjusted his tie, "Martin got me that meeting with Mr. Stark so I'll be heading to work in about an hour."

"Oh?" Hermione's eyes sparkled a little as she turned to him, "So you're going through with it? I knew your righteousness would win in the end."

"It's more along the lines of my patience running out," Harry said sheepishly, "I don't really think he'll be happy to see me considering that I'm planning to berate him. But what's needs to be done must be done. You know how I hate people taking advantage of their power."

"Why don't you go through the actual CEO?"

"Ms. Potts is busier than Mr. Stark," Harry explained, "I think I want to try to get this sorted out before having to resort to her."

Hermione hummed in agreement before going back to her TV show, where a blurred video of Stark entering his limo was playing.

"Seriously," Harry grumbled, "Why do you even watch this?"

"I'm bored," Hermione replied, "And it's my day off. My meeting's tomorrow morning."

Harry rolled his eyes and got off the sofa and headed towards the kitchen to get himself a bottle of water. His apartment was by no means luxurious, but it was big enough for him to live comfortably in. Harry knew the press would have a field day if they ever find out about his living arrangements, but Harry didn't care. Despite his holdings at Gringotts, he's still not really used to luxury – the Manor in Scotland being an exception since it belonged to his family and was where his father had grown up.

"Can't you find yourself another hobby?" he asked, taking a mouthful of water.

"Too busy," Hermione said absentmindedly, "By the way, how was the ball? I'm sorry I had to miss it."

"No you're not," Harry replied and Hermione smirked.

"Not really," she admitted, sharing his dislike to such events, "But I would have liked to meet the Queen. And the princes…"

"Prince Harry was nice," Harry said, answering the unasked question. He was all too aware of Hermione's enormous crush on the young royal, "Although, he seemed to have a crush on Stark."

"Really?" Hermione asked, eyes wide.

"Well, he kept asking about him despite the fact that he was surrounded by magic."

"Mmm," Hermione turned her attention back to the TV, "I can see where you got that idea."

"They would make an interesting couple, to say the least," he continued, watching in satisfaction as Hermione nearly choked on thin air.

"Harry!"

Harry laughed.

 **TBC**


	7. In which Harry meets Tony

**Chapter 7 In which Harry meets Tony**

* * *

 ** _1st March 2016, New York, SI HQ_**

He arrived at SI HQ 10 minutes before his meeting, judging it was enough of an advance.

"Mr. Stark has not yet arrived," the secretary informed him before inviting him to take a seat at the table. It wasn't much of a surprise. If rumors about Stark were to be believed, Harry was in for a long wait.

He started watching a video on his phone – discretely of course – to pass time and waited, and waited, and waited, until 2 hours have passed and he was starting to get hungry.

 _This must be a joke_ , he thought rather angrily to himself as he made his way back to the secretary's desk.

"I'm sorry," he said, "It's been 2 hours already. Can you call Mr. Stark to see if he is still planning to come?"

"Of course, sir," the secretary replied before picking up the phone. 5 minutes later, she hung up and said: "It seems that Mr. Stark had forgotten about the meeting, but you are free to make your way to his penthouse if you still want to meet him."

Harry resisted the urge to gape in outrage. _He_ forgot about the meeting? Was Mr. Stark really a businessman? That was one of the least diplomatic way to treat an employee possible.

"Can you give me the address?" he asked instead, working to keep his tone pleasant. It wasn't the secretary's fault that Mr. Stark was an utter ass.

"Of course," the woman smiled at him before handing him a piece of paper, "Good luck."

* * *

As expected from Stark, his New York Penthouse was modern, luxurious and more expensive than most people could afford. It was also one of the most technically advanced architectures that Harry had ever seen. The security was top notch by muggles standards; security cameras everywhere he turned, infra-red sensors, fingerprint scanners, heat sensors and much more. It felt more like entering a top secret underground lab than a penthouse.

Harry entered the building wryly, keeping an eye on his surroundings as he made his way to the elevator. Despite his vigilance, he still jumped in surprise when a British voice greeted him as soon as he pressed the up button.

"Who are you?" he asked, turning around to check for an intercom.

"My name is JARVIS, sir," the voice replied, "I am Mr. Stark's personal assistant, if you will. I'm not human but an artificial intelligence designed by Mr. Stark."

"That is so cool," Harry admitted, eyes wide. He had heard about the existence of AI technology but this is the first time he came in to contact with one.

"Thank you," Jarvis replied, "I apologize profusely for what happened today. I tried to get Mr. Stark to leave on time, but he just got started with a new project and shut me out."

"Don't worry about it," Harry replied, feeling a little weird that an AI was apologizing to him, "It's your creator's fault. He should apologize, not you."

"Thank you sir," Jarvis repeated before the door dinged once more, indicating that the elevator had reached the right floor, "If you'll follow me, Mr. Stark is in his lab."

* * *

It was like a scene from a sci-fi movie; holograms everywhere, robots milling around handing their inventor tools whenever the latter asked for it, machines so complicated that it made Harry's head spin. It was incredible how advanced the muggles have gotten over the centuries. While the wizarding world stagnated, muggles evolved by continuing to innovate. Tony Stark was the embodiment of that innovation.

As soon as Harry stepped through the glass doors, the music stopped and JARVIS' voice rung through the speakers once more.

"Mr. Stark," he said, "You have a visitor."

Tony Stark stopped whatever he was doing and turned around, eyes widening a little as he took in Harry's presence.

"Hi," he said, a little confused, "And you are?"

"Harry Potter," Harry replied, "I'm from the Accounting department. We had a meeting today Mr. Stark but apparently you forgot about it."

Tony winced a little and rubbed his neck sheepishly with a hand that wasn't covered in grease.

"Yeah, about that," he started, "That happens to me a lot. When I get caught up in something, anything else tends to take backseat drive. But at least you are here now, what can I do for you?"

 **TBC**


	8. In which there is a magical hammer

**Chapter 8 In which there's a magical hammer**

* * *

 ** _1st March 2016, New York, Tony Stark's Apartment_**

In person, Tony Stark was much shorter than Harry had expected, especially if he used the pictures he had seen online as reference, but the young man could easily understand why so many have fallen for the Stark Charm despite Stark's age. There was just something about Tony Stark that made people want to bend to his will; and it wasn't just the money either. On Stark, that irresistible smile is a weapon that the billionaire wielded with expertise. Tony Stark may not be most handsome man on earth, but he was well built and confident, and knew how to draw people to him like moth to flame. If Harry was any lesser man, he would have faltered under Stark's friendly – and dare he say it? – seductive grin.

 _Sorry mate_ , Harry thought to himself, smirking internally, _That's not going to work with me._

"Mr. Stark," Harry began, back straight, "May we talk in a place where we can sit down?"

Stark looked a little taken aback by the fact that his charm hadn't worked but quickly recovered.

"Look kid," he said, all previous friendly/flirty disposition gone, "I'm really busy so if you can make it quick."

"Mr. Stark," Harry snapped, feeling his hackles raise at the other man's disrespectful tone, "Fine. It's simple really. You may own Stark Industries but by law, it is still a distinct entity from Tony Stark as a person. You do not get to expense your personal spending to the company account and expect the accounting department to deal with it. Only operation-related expenses can be expensed; in other words, research and development cost, production costs, cost of goods sold, overhead, salaries, and all that stuff. The cost to repair a building the Hulk crashed in does not fall under any of those categories."

"Oh god," Tony moaned, eyes rolling so hard Harry was afraid he was going to strain yourself, "You sound just like Pepper."

"That's because Ms. Potts is right," Harry retorted, "Mr. Stark; your actions are hindering the efficiency of SI's accounting department. You have your private account, you can't continue charging it to the company account because it's convenient…Mr. Stark! Are you even listening to me?"

But Tony Stark was no longer listening. He had turned his back from Harry, and was heading towards a workbench just a few feet away, his army of robots following him like loyal dogs. Harry resisted the urge to throw a wrench at him to catch his attention, but knew he would probably get in to trouble if he did.

Oh Merlin, no one had informed him Tony Stark was so goddamn irritating. He knew the man was a good person at heart – because no one else would be ready to put their own life in danger everyday to save others – but still…this was not going well at all.

"Mr. Stark," he tried again, but was promptly ignored. Harry should have counted as a win the fact that Stark hadn't instructed Jarvis to start playing music at a volume so high as to drown out Harry's voice.

With a sigh, Harry started to make his way closer to Stark, mind so occupied that he nearly tripped when his foot caught on to something on the ground. It was square and sturdy and it hurt his toe where he had stubbed against it.

Cursing internally, Harry looked down, wondering what it was and saw…

A hammer.

There was a bloody hammer laying on the ground; ready to trip anyone who wasn't looking at where they were going.

Bloody Stark…Harry was so not paid to deal with this shit.

"Mr. Stark," he snapped, bending down to retrieve the hammer, surprised at how heavy it really was. It was more a war hammer like the ones seen in movies, then a regular tool hammer. It was decorated with symbols that looked ancient and almost thrummed with power. His hands fit rather comfortably around the handle as Harry quickly lifted it up and deposited it on the table, "You can't keep things lying around, you're going to trip on one of these things one day and crack your head open."

He looked up after he had deposited the thing on a table and found that Stark had turned around and was staring at him with his mouth hanging open in shock. It would have been a humorous sight if Stark's reaction wasn't worrying him so much.

"Mr. Stark?" Harry said tentatively, "Are you ok?"

"You…hammer…Thor…Asgard," Stark stammered, pointing at him with a shaking finger.

"Mr. Stark," Harry snapped, wanting nothing more than to leave this infuriating man, "Can you start making sense?"

But Stark was off again, talking in to his cellphone with an urgency that Harry had never seen before.

"Mr. Stark!" Harry repeated once more, wondering just how many times he had used the man's name during this visit, "What's-"

Before he could finish his sentence, Stark had finished his call and turned back to him, an indescribable expression on his face.

"Sorry," was the only thing he said before Harry felt something prick his and everything went dark.

 **TBC**


	9. In which Harry meets the Avengers

**Chapter 9 In which Harry meets the Avengers**

* * *

 ** _1st March 2016, New York, Tony Stark's Apartment_**

Harry woke up confused and disoriented; head hurting like hell and mouth drier than the Sahara desert. The last thing he remembered before going under was Stark's apartment/lab and then everything had gone black. Did Stark knock him out or something?

"You can't just knock people out Tony," he heard a voice say, as if to confirm his thoughts, "This is just not right."

"I panicked, ok?" Stark's voice replied, "I didn't know what to do."

"This young man is not Asgardian," boomed another voice, "So this new development will not lead to a succession crisis."

"Wait," Stark's voice piped up once more, sounding incredulous, "Are you telling me that all that crap about "those who can lift the hammer can rule Asgard" is just that…crap?"

"Friend Tony," the other man replied patiently, "Father is not about to give control of the realm to someone who is not even Asgardian. What I told you stands, only if the person in question is from Asgard, not Midgard. However, this young man will need to be introduced to our court and will be given a title – just not royalty. But that's not important right now, we first have to find out how our young friend here had managed to lift Mjölnir when no one else could."

"Are you sure he's not-"

"Yes, I'm sure."

With his eyes still closed, Harry tried to narrow in on why the voices sounded familiar and it took him a while before he recalled where he had heard it.

The Avengers.

No bloody way…

His eyes flew open despite himself and he stared gobsmacked at the assembled group around his bed. There was Stark, looking rather sheepish; there was a blond man with a muscled body that Harry recognized as Thor, another blond man with shorter hair that must be the famed Captain America.

"Err," Harry said, trying to get his mind to start working again, "What's going on?"

"Oh, you're awake," said Stark, smiling down at him, "I'm really sorry for knocking you out."

"Yeah, about that," Harry glared at him, a wave of righteous anger sweeping over him, "Isn't that a little extreme? Do you do that to everyone who doesn't agree with you?"

Stark's eyes widened a little.

"Oh no," he said, "It's not because you disagree with my business pratices; it's because of the hammer you managed to pick up."

Harry paused, trying to understand what Stark was saying. The hammer? Oh, he meant the hammer that he had nearly tripped over. Come to think of it, that hammer had seemed weird…weirdly familiar in a way. He wondered where he had…

His eyes snapped to Thor.

"Wait," he started, pointing a trembling finger at Thor, "Is it…"

"Yes," Tony replied cheerfully, "The hammer you picked up was indeed Thor's."

"But," Harry spluttered, "Isn't that supposed to be impossible? That's what everyone's saying on the news."

"Yes," Captain America spoke, "That is indeed how it was supposed to be. That is why we are extremely interested in how you had managed to pick it up."

Harry groaned outwardly, and passed a tired hand through his messy hair.

Why is it always him?

After 2 hours of questions – during which Harry tried his best to answer without violating the Statue of Secrecy – Harry was allowed to leave, with the promise that he would be kept under surveillance until his secrets were all exposed. At least Steve/Captain America looked genuinely sorry about his predicament and assured him that he would do his best to keep Tony in line.

"I'll be contacting the Allfather and inform him about this new development," said Thor before he disappeared in a flash of lightning. Tony offered to drive him back home, but Harry refused to let the man invade anymore of his privacy. Not that he didn't think Stark already knew where he lived, but it was the principle that mattered.

"You look exhausted," Hermione told him as he made his way through the door, feet trailing after him like an inferi.

"I am," Harry confirmed, letting his tired body drop on to the couch.

"Did the meeting go well?"

Harry groaned once more before he started recounting everything that had happened. Hermione listened patiently, making startled noises at the appropriate places before staring at him with big brown eyes once he had finished his narrative.

"Only you," she concluded with a laugh.

"I know," Harry moaned pitifully.

"But at least, this will give us a chance to learn more about Asgard. You know, I have a contact in the Department of Mysteries who confided in me that the Ministry believes that all wizards and witches are all descendants of Asgardians. That's how magic was first introduced to Earth. Normally, Asgardians kept away from us as far as possible and it's only recently with Thor's arrival, that Wizards are made aware of their existence."

"That sounds far-fetched," Harry replied.

"Not really," Hermione shrugged, "It would make sense, wouldn't it? At least, it makes more sense than magic suddenly appearing on Earth one day."

Harry groaned again and buried his face in a couch cushion. A little while later, he felt Hermione rub his back soothingly and he smiled.

"Thanks," he mumbled before letting the comforting massage to lure him to sleep.

 **TBC**


	10. In which Harry and Tony bond

**Chapter 19 In which Harry bonds with Tony**

* * *

 ** _March 4 2016, New York, Stark Industries HQ_**

There was a group of employees waiting for him when Harry finally made his way to work on Monday morning. Considering that most had welcoming smiles on their faces, the young man discarded the idea of an angry mob and forced down his unease. He was still a little tired from everything that had happened lately and didn't want any more drama.

"Hi," he said hesitantly. Most of these people Harry had never met before, "What are you guys doing?"

"Celebrating you!" Katy exclaimed, appearing out of nowhere. She was wearing a kind of birthday hat that clashed terribly with her suit jacket. Harry diverted her attempts of giving him a hat as well.

"Whatever for?" Harry asked, not understanding what all the fuss was about.

"You were brave enough to sacrifice yourself by confronting Mr. Stark," another man replied, giving him an appreciative look.

 _Oh…shit…He knew he had forgotten something._ In all the excitement with the Avengers, Harry had totally forgotten the initial reason why he had went to see Stark in the first place. If he wanted this mess sorted out, he will have to contact the man again…something he was so not looking forward to.

"Yeah, he said he'll think about what I said and contact me again," Harry told the group. It wasn't exactly the truth considering how Harry doubted Stark would remember anything of what Harry had said regarding his practices.

"You are an angel," an older woman told him, coming forward to hug him. This led to 10 other people coming over as well. Harry endured the display of affection before Katy intervened and rushed every one back to work.

"But seriously," she said once they were back in their office, "Thanks for taking the plunge."

"Yeah," Chris agreed, patting him on the back, "Thank you."

Harry smiled at them.

"My pleasure," he replied, still feeling a little guilty.

The rest of the day passed without incident until 2 o'clock struck and a cacophony of noises rose from outside the room, making Harry look up in annoyance. Chris and Katy were gone for the day (for personal reasons) and he had been in the middle of trying to figure out how to include 10 Million for property destruction to shareholders and did not appreciate the interruption.

"What's going on?" he asked, but before anyone could answer, the door to their private office opened and Tony Stark entered, dressed to the nines and looking every inch like the Billionaire playboy the media made him out to be.

"Err," Harry said, staring at the man, "Are you here to fire me?"

"Of course not," Stark said cheerfully, dropping a folder in front of the other man, "I'm here to offer you a promotion."

Curious despite himself, Harry opened the folder and looked over the contents.

"Your personal assistant?" he asked dubiously, "No thanks. I did not go through 3 years of university plus 1 year to get my CPA to then become a glorified butler…no offense to butlers of course."

"How about being my bodyguard?" Stark offered, taking the folder back and replacing it with another.

"Bodyguard?" Harry repeated incredulously, "You have an armored suit that you can call on command. I doubt I could make you safer than you already are. Besides, I'm an accountant, not a fighter."

"And yet, you somehow received a Victoria Cross a few years back."

Harry froze.

"How…" he was about to ask but then changed his mind, "Are you stalking me?"

"Hardly," Stark scoffed, "The list of recipients of the Victoria cross is public knowledge. Don't worry, I don't know anything else about you so your privacy is safe."

Harry was sharp enough to understand what that statement (coupled by the edge of sulkiness in Stark's tone) meant.

"You tried to search for me but couldn't find anything," he smirked.

Stark groaned.

"Fine. I have no idea how you did it but I couldn't find anything about you. It's making me crazy."

"Any what makes me crazy is knowing that you are trying to violate my privacy. That's not really American of you, Mr. Stark."

"Please throw me a bone here," Stark whined, looking at Harry with wide eyes, "I'm supposed to be the best when it comes to background checks and this failure is making me look bad."

Despite the seriousness of the situation, Harry laughed at that.

"How about this," he said, "I'll answer one question for every favour you do for me. And I promise that whatever I say will be the truth…unless I have any real reason for not answering. And if that's the case, I'll tell you up front that I can't tell you."

"Deal," Stark agreed readily, "But like you, I also have a say on those favours."

Harry shrugged.

"Sounds fair," he said, handing Stark back his folder, "Now, first thing I want you to do it help me with these expense reports."

* * *

There was a muscle cramp in his right hand.

"I hate paperwork," Tony moaned, wondering if all this was actually worth it. 4 hours of digging through expense reports and trying to come up with excuses for some of the most extravagant expenses charged to the company account so that the shareholders won't come after his blood, was more tiring then he had expected. Tony had suddenly a new respect for all the work done by his Accounting department. If he had to do all this himself, he would probably be buried under lawsuits by now.

"Thank you for your help," Harry replied, smiling up at him. Harry had a nice smile, Tony decided. Not childish by any means, but not shark-like or manipulative. Harry's smile looked genuine and it matched well with the rest of his personality. He was kind-hearted and caring; sharp and beautiful; a rare combination these days. If Harry wasn't his employee (and pretty much disliked him) Tony would have made a move to get to know him better. But as things stand, that would probably end in tragedy.

"No problem," Tony groaned, stretching out his arms, "Now that I did what you want, it's time for you to answer my question."

Harry inclined his head in a gesture that told him to go ahead.

"Do you have anything to do with Potter Pharmaceuticals?"

It was a long shot and probably a waste of a good question, but Tony really wanted to know. It stupid to think that Harry Potter had something to do with Potter Pharmaceuticals just because of his last name. Potter was a common name and one that many people in UK had. But it was something that had come up a lot during his research and something in Tony's mind was telling him to go ahead anyhow.

Potter Pharmaceuticals had fascinated the business world the moment it had popped out of nowhere. No one knew who the owner/founder was, but everyone was thankful for the "miracle pill" they had introduced to the market; a pill that can cure your cold instantly. A lot of other companies have tried to reverse engineer the pill but have failed miserably. Tony had once even entertained the idea of trying himself, but decided to let it go. But despite that decision, Tony's interest in the company hadn't waned. He had even invested a pretty sum when PP was looking to build a new factory here in the US.

"Potter Pharmaceuticals," Harry repeated sounding surprised, "Yes, as a matter of fact, I do. I founded it."

Tony gaped at him. He had not expected that.

"You founded it," he said slowly, "But you're what? 20 at the most?"

"I'm 26," Harry replied, rolling his eyes, "My best friend Hermione is running it now. Why? You interested in expanding?"

"Not right now," Tony replied dazedly, wondering just what other secret Harry held, "Besides, Pepper is the one making all the business decisions."

"Yeah," Harry smiled, "I know what you mean. I may be the owner but Hermione is the one calling all the shots."

"Are you involved in any product development?" Tony asked, hoping Harry would answer, "Do you know the ingredients to that miracle pill?"

Harry laughed a little at that.

"I do not," he said, "Our Head Scientist is the one who came up with the pill and he has always been possessive about his research. We had to pay outrageous amount of money to deter any governments from coming after our property."

"So you're not thinking about getting a patent?"

"Nah," Harry shrugged, "We'll confident that we can keep it safe."

Tony nodded, and opened his mouth to ask more but Harry interrupted him by raising his hand.

"I think that's enough questions for today. If you want other questions answered, you have to do me another favour."

Tony grimaced.

"Are you going to make me do paperwork again?"

Harry shrugged.

"I'll see what tickles my fancy," he replied before getting up, "Come on, I'll buy you a coffee from the cafeteria. It may taste like garbage but at least it contains caffeine."

 **TBC**


	11. In which Loki is bored

**Chapter 11 In which Loki is bored**

* * *

 ** _Location Unknown_**

Solitary confinement did not suit Loki. Ever since he was young, he had never liked being on his own. After all, pulling pranks and making fun of people when your audience was non-existent was boring. And if there was one thing Loki disliked with a passion, it was boredom.

Despite his internal whining, Loki knew he should be grateful that the All-father saw that he hadn't exactly been in his right mind when he had tried to invade Midgard and alleviated his punishment consequently. So instead of lying dead in a ditch somewhere, Loki was confined somewhere not even Thor knew, bored out of his mind.

His life was not going according to plan.

Loki sighed for what felt like the 1000th time and inclined himself against the leather sofa, novel in hand. For a supposed prison, his current housing situation wasn't all that bad. Sure it was a far cry from the luxurious interior of the main palace, but it wasn't a dump either. Food was brought to him regularly, he could sleep all day, watch TV or even read. The only things he couldn't do was leave, do magic or have any communication with the outside world.

The sound of the bell made Loki look up from his book to the entrance of his "cell". He expected the blond haired servant girl who had come everyday to bring him his meal and was surprised when another blond haired person entered his view.

"Thor!" he exclaimed, unable to believe his sight. Loki blamed his months of solidary confinement for the joy he felt at the sight of his once-detested brother. Of course, his face remained impassive and even bored as he asked the other god what he was doing here.

"Community Service brother!" Thor boomed happily and Loki felt his eyebrows rise. What is Thor talking about?

"Community…Service," he repeated, as if afraid he had misheard. "What does that even mean?"

"Well," Thor replied happily, "I thought you would want to get out of this place so I convinced the All-father to let you help me on a small task. Of course, your powers would be repressed, but at least you could come to Midgard with me."

"Is this for real?" Loki asked neutrally, while trying to keep his excitement at bay. Finally, human contact!

"Yes," Thor said, "The task is simple really. We need you to Assess someone."

Loki blinked.

Assessing someone was just another word for trying to figure out what their powers were. It wasn't a particular hard task and anyone with a minimum amount of magical sensitivity can do it. As one of the strongest magic users in the realm, Loki was, of course, one of the best Assessors out there and has been one universally coveted for his skill and has been wined and dined to be in his favour. But now that he has been branded a war criminal and locked away, those glory days were long gone.

"And why am I going to Midgard for that?" Loki couldn't help but ask. His powers has never been used on anyone other than Asgardians.

"The person you are going to Assess is on Midgard," answered Thor, "As things are, he will be given a title within our court very soon and the All-father requested that he is to be Assessed before he is presented."

"A Midgardian given a title within our court?" Loki repeated incredulously, "How is that possible?"

"I can't tell you more unfortunately," Thor said, "but are you interested?"

"Well," Loki said slowly, his mind racing. There was no doubt he was interested, but seeming to eager was against everything he represented. "If you really need my help, I guess I can-"

Thor rolled his eyes.

"Get ready to leave; I'll give you 5 minutes if you need to prepare anything."

"No," Loki said, looking around the room he had grown so familiar with in the past month, "Let's get going."

 **TBC**


	12. In which Harry meets Pepper

**Chapter 12 In which Harry meets Pepper**

* * *

 ** _March 7 2016, New York, Stark Industries HQ_**

Dwaine Taylor had enjoyed 10 blissful years, in his youth, of being totally irresponsible, skiving off school and doing drugs, until his parents had had enough of his behavior and gave him an ultimatum.

"No more partying until you get your life back on track," his father had said. And since by that point it was already too late for Dwaine to get in to a good university, he graduated from high school and found a job as a janitor.

Life was simple as a janitor; the pay was pretty good too, especially when he had started to work for Stark Industries. The place was huge, but Dwaine worked with a team of dedicated workers and his days were peaceful, drama free, and a little boring. But Dwaine couldn't really complain.

Thursday morning started out as normal as any other day. Dwaine arrived at work on time, clocked in and started his scheduled tour. What he hadn't expected was to bump in to Tony Stark of all people on the 4th floor.

"Oh god," Dwaine said, embarrassed. "I'm so sorry."

"No problem," Stark replied, smile looking a little stiff.

Dwaine didn't let his mind wonder about Stark's appearance and was about to leave when the man stopped him, a hand on his arm.

"I was wondering," Stark said, voice odd, "If I can borrow your mop?"

"Oh!" Dwaine's eyes widened, "For an experiment sir?"

Stark winced.

"No," he said, "I'll be cleaning this floor for you."

Dwaine gaped at him.

"Errr," he started, before regaining his composure, "May I ask why?"

"No," Stark snapped, taking the mop from Dwaine. As he worked, Dwaine could swear he head Stark swearing about someone named Harry under his breath.

Still a little dazed, Dwaine made his way to the next floor to continue his rounds. He bumped in to a coworker there, who was surprised that he had already finished the previous floor.

"You won't believe what had happened!" Dwaine exclaimed excitedly, "Tony Stark asked me if he could borrow my mop and is actually mopping up down stairs."

His friend laughed.

"Yeah right," he scoffed, but Dwaine was not deterred. He gathered a few other employees on the floor and brought them down to witness the miracle that was Tony Stark doing menial labour.

By lunchtime, the pictures of Stark, in his thousand dollar Armani suit, mopping the floor, had already gone viral within Stark Industries internal network. By 2, the video had already garnered 10 million views on YouTube. By 3, SI CEO Pepper Potts had made her appearance, wanting to know what had happened.

* * *

Harry's first official meeting with Pepper Potts was when the woman made her appearance in his little office some time around 3.30. She was wearing a form hugging dress along with stiletto heels so pointy they could easily be turned in to weapons with little imagination.

"You must be Harry Potter," she said kindly, shaking his hand. She was a truly beautiful woman, but her accomplishments were far more impressive then what God had blessed her with; it was a pity that Katy and Chris weren't here to meet her. Harry knew Katy was a big fan of hers and had confided in Harry that Ms. Potts was one of the reasons she had chosen SI.

"Ms. Potts," Harry quickly stood up and shook her hand, "It's an honor. How may I help you?"

"Why on Earth weren't you this polite when you met me?" an incredulous voice asked behind Pepper Potts and Tony Stark appeared, looking freshly showered, his hair still a little damp. He had probably gone home after his "shift" that morning. Harry resisted the urge to smirk.

"Tony," Ms. Potts chided him before turning back to Harry, "Now, Mr. Potter, can you tell me why there's a video of Tony here mopping the 4th floor?"

It took a moment for Harry to realize that the glint in her eyes wasn't anger but amusement. For some reason, she had enjoyed the show but her position prevented her from being too blunt about it.

"Equivalent exchange Ms. Potts," Harry replied evenly, "Mr. Stark wanted me to answer some questions about my personal life and I agreed to answer one question for every favour he did for me. That video was my latest favour."

"How…interesting," Ms. Potts said slowly, "Tony, how many times I have told you to not pry in to the life of your employees."

"Pepper," Tony whined, "You don't understand!"

She ignored him.

"Mr. Potter," she told Harry, "I'll be taking my leave now that I know Tony is not being blackmailed."

With an elegant twist on her heels, Pepper Potts disappeared out the door, leaving Harry smirking.

"Ok," Tony snapped, taking a seat. "Now that I have totally humiliated my self for your amusement, please answer my question."

"Of course," Harry agreed genially, "Ask away."

Stark thought for a moment before asking: "How did you get your Victoria Cross."

"I sacrificed myself to stop a terrorist from bombing my school," he replied easily, the lie concocted by the Ministry of Magic slipping out as easily as breathing. "He called himself Voldemort. Do you remember him?"

Stark nodded, looking a little surprised that Harry was involved with the psychopath in question.

"Voldemort believed in fate; he believed for some cracked up reason I had some kind of power to destroy him. He had asked for me in exchange for sparing my school. I had to go. I went and somehow survived. I got my medal because as it turned out, Voldemort had more bombs planted around London that would have gone off it I hadn't done what I had done."

"How old were you?" Stark asked, sounding a little strangled.

"18," Harry replied, smile sad, "A lot of people still died even with my decision to go peacefully. It wasn't a happy time. Unsurprisingly the media tried to hush it up. Voldemort had been the Lord of a very old aristocratic family; his actions had brought great dishonor."

Stark forced out a smile.

"Sorry for…you know,"

Harry batted the excuse away with one hand.

"Don't worry," he replied, "I'm made of stronger stuff than that. Now, is there anything else or can I get back to work?"

"Thor wants to see you in a few days," Stark told him and Harry resisted the urge to groan, "I'll tell you when."

"Fine," he huffed, "More trouble, just what I need right now."

At least Hermione would find this whole-messed up situation entertaining.

 **TBC**


	13. In which Tony is too famous

**Chapter 13 In which Tony is too famous**

* * *

 ** _Gallery La Rose, New York, 10 March 2016_**

Dark blond hair pulled back in an elegant twist; gorgeous blue eyes staring longingly out the window; lips as red as the ruby ring she wore on her left hand; the young girl depicted in the painting was truly beautiful. The artist has done a tremendous job in catching all the details, such as the way her lips quirked up in a soft smile, as if she was thinking about something funny that only she could understand; mysterious, fresh, captivating, a true masterpiece.

Harry resisted the urge to yawn.

The thing was; he didn't exactly dislike art. He just never understood it. Sure the painting was beautiful, but at the end of the day, it was just a painting. There was nothing there that could capture his attention for more than a few minutes.

"How long do we have to stare at this thing while pretending to be absolutely captivated?" a very familiar voice asked from somewhere behind him. Grateful for the interruption, Harry turned around and came face to face with Tony Stark.

"Mr. Stark," he smiled, perhaps a little too happy to see the other man. But, considering the circumstances, it was understandable. "What a surprise. I didn't know you got invited as well."

"A coincidence," Stark replied, grin sharp, "And what about you? I didn't know you were interested in this sort of affair."

Harry blinked, before pointing to a poster near the entrance of the gallery. Stark turned and followed his finger, taking in what he was pointing to.

"Ah," he said in understanding, "Sponsored by Potter Pharmaceuticals; strange choice for a pharmaceutical company."

"Hermione likes art," Harry said, as if that explained everything.

"And where is this Hermione you seem so fond of?"

"She's talking with the host," Harry replied, pretty sure that was what Hermione had said when she had left him, "But you'll probably meet her later. In the main time, shall we get a drink?" He already had had his fill of "The Girl with the Ruby Ring" for the moment.

Stark agreed and both men made their way towards the bar, where a lone bartender was doing his best to tend to the large influx of customers without making mistakes. He was young; tussled blond hair framing a boyish face; cute in a little boy sort of way. He also looked as if he was about to drop from exhaustion any minute now.

Harry took a seat at the end of the bar with Stark and had to wait 5 minutes before it was their turn.

"What can I get you?" the bartender asked, smiling rigidly. His top button was loose, revealing a plain tank top beneath.

"I'll take rum and coke," Harry replied as Stark went with a more traditional whiskey.

The bartender nodded before going to fulfil their orders.

"So," Harry said once their drinks were in their hands, "Tell me the truth Mr. Stark; are you stalking me?"

Stark made a face.

"Of course not," he protested, "I told you it was a coincidence."

"And if you were any other man, I would have believed you," Harry deadpanned, taking a sip of his drink. It was a little too strong in his opinion but since his alcohol tolerance had always been good, he decided not to trouble the bartender for more coke.

"You got me," Stark admitted after a bout of silence, raising his hands in defeat. "I had Jarvis track your social activities."

"Your AI, right?" Harry asked, remembering the name, "It's incredible what you have accomplished with him."

"Well," Stark puffed up his chest in mock arrogance, "I am a genius after all."

The action was so ridiculous that Harry snorted in a decidedly not very elegant way and tried to cover it up by taking another sip of his drink.

"So," Stark said, changing the subject, "I have another question for you."

"You do?" Harry's eyes lit up, "Then that means you are ready to do another favor for me."

"Of course," Stark nodded, "That is the deal."

"Ok," Harry tried to think of something he wanted the billionaire to do, but before he could think of something, another man appeared behind Stark, interrupting their conversation.

He was old; with black hair streaked with silver and a white beard that had seen better days. His suit looked a little wrinkled and by the notepad he was holding in one hand, he was either an art critic or a reporter.

Harry desperately hoped it wasn't the latter.

"Excuse me," the man said, voice polite, "Mr. Stark? Can I have a moment?"

"I guess," Stark replied, sounding a little annoyed, "And you are?"

"Jeremy Taylor; I'm a reporter with the Daily News. May I have a picture Mr. Stark?"

Harry resisted the urge to grimace at the man's profession. A reporter; just what he needed. His time in the Wizarding world has instilled a deep weariness of reporters within him. Although his anonymity in the Muggle world meant that he wasn't hounded by press, he wasn't exactly eager to be start now. If only he could slip away unnoticed…

While Stark was occupied with the reporter, Harry quietly put down his drink and slip down his stool. He tried to make himself scarce but before he could succeed, a hand clamped on to his arm, preventing him from making further progress.

"I think that's enough for tonight," Stark was saying even as his grip tightened, a warning for Harry to stay put.

"Of course," the reporter said nervously, "One last question Mr. Stark. Is this young man your date for the night?"

Harry spluttered, surprised at the question.

"No, unfortunately," Stark replied smoothly, "Just a friend."

The reporter nodded and bade them good night.

"What's up with the "unfortunately"?" Harry asked once the other man was out of earshot.

Stark just smiled charmingly at him and returned his attention to his drink.

Harry sighed.

 **TBC**


	14. In which Loki is amused

**Chapter 14 In which Loki is amused**

* * *

 ** _New York, 11 March 2016_**

New York hasn't changed a bit, Loki decided, looking around the crowded metropolis as he and Thor made their way towards the entrance of Stark's way-too-expensive apartment. If Loki had his way, they would have materialized directly inside, but Thor had wanted some hotdogs so they were forced to walk up the stairs like some common mortal.

The door to the apartment opened automatically before Thor could even pull it open and Jarvis' voice descended upon them; a familiar British lilt that actually made Loki smirk. He liked Jarvis; at least comparably to the other Avengers. Jarvis was sarcastic and funny and knew how to drag a reaction out of Stark while remaining 100% polite and deferential. Such ability showed a mastery of the art of subtlety; one that Stark didn't even seem to possess. That was weird, considering that Jarvis was Stark's creation, but has someone surpassed its creator in many ways.

Stark was waiting for them when they got to the top floor of the penthouse; a glass of whiskey in hand and dressed in an old graphic t-shirt, coupled with a pair of worn jeans.

"Loki, my man," Stark greeted him as if he hadn't tried to kill everyone on Midgard a few month ago. "It's nice to see you out of your prison."

"Watch it Stark," Loki snarled, but with little heat, "My powers may be restricted but I can still outsmart you."

Stark, infuriatingly, just laughed.

The rest of the Avengers were already sitting in the living room, talking. They stopped when Thor and Loki entered.

Their reaction to his presence was decidedly less warm then Stark's but Loki had expected it. It didn't bother him in the least. These people were not his friends; their opinions were useless to him. He was here for a task and hopefully knock some time off of his sentence.

"Where is the person I'm supposed to Assess?" he asked, getting to the crux of the matter.

"His name is Harry Potter," Rogers said, handing him a file.

Loki almost choked on thin air.

As one of the most powerful magic users in existence, Loki was one of the few who were aware of the existence of the Wizarding World. The All-father knew of course, but Thor did not. And judging by the lack of reaction around the room, neither did the rest of the Avengers.

"Harry Potter, you say," he repeated slowly, while pretending to read the file. Harry Potter…what could little Harry, who couldn't breath for an hour without attracting some kind of trouble, get himself in to this time? He would have thought Harry would have calmed down once he had left the Wizarding World, but for him to land on the Avengers' radar meant that something big has happened.

"Yeah," Clint piped up, looking bored by the whole thing, "Apparently he managed to pick up Thor's magic hammer."

"Stop calling it that," Natasha chided him, "You make it sound like a child's toy."

As they started bantering, Loki tried to assimilate what he had just been told.

Oh, oh, oh…This whole situation was getting better and better by the moment.

"How interesting," he said out loud, not resisting the smile that had crawled on to his face. "How very interesting…"

 **TBC**


	15. In which Harry meets Loki

**Chapter 15 In which Harry meets Loki**

* * *

 ** _Stark Industries HQ, New York, 11 March 2016_**

After the numerous incidents he had had with the Daily Prophet in the past, Harry had decided that reading all press – whether muggle or Wizarding - was a waste of time. Reporters were always bound to get things wrong and if there was anything important for him to know, there was always the ever-dependable Hermione, who would inevitably call him to inform him. The biggest problem with that plan was that Hermione lived on the other side of the ocean and would sometimes be too busy to call him immediately unless something catastrophic occurred. Although he was aware of the impractical side of this little arrangement, Harry had never had any problems with it…until now.

On this beautiful day of March, Harry arrived at the office feeling refreshed and happy, unprepared for the shit-storm that was about to fall upon him. He had had a wonderful breakfast that morning and was looking forward to a nice, drama-free day at work. Except, upon entering his little office, he found Katy and Chris at their desk, not working but giggling over something they were reading on screen.

"Ladies," he greeted them cautiously and actually took a step back when two pairs of mischievous eyes turned on him. "What's going on?"

"You don't know?" Katy asked, with some surprise. "It's all over the news this morning."

"Yeah," Chris agreed, nodding her head so fast Harry was afraid it was going to fall down, "You're hot stuff, Potter."

And just like that, Harry suddenly felt a shiver crawl down his spine.

"Show me," he said, half afraid of what he might find and half resigned by the fact that the press was once again out to ruin his life. He accepted the laptop from Katy and stared at the screen.

The first article was from People Magazine and along with the picture of him and Tony the reporter had taken last night was the title "Tony Stark Gay?". The subtitle read: "Billionaire Tony Stark comes out gay as he admits his heartache over rejection at the hands of his much younger love interest, Harry Potter."

Harry nearly choked on thin air.

"What the actual hell is this?" he spluttered, pointing a trembling finger at the screen. Heartache? Rejection? Did Stark confess to him and he just forgot? What could possibly give the reporters the idea that Stark was in anyway hung up on him? This was ridiculous!

"What?" Chris said, a little disappointed at Harry's reaction, "Are you telling me it's not true?"

"Of course not," Harry replied emphatically, turning his attention from the screen to face the two girls, "Tony Stark is not crushing on me."

"That's not what the magazines are saying," came a male voice from the door.

Harry turned to face Martin, their supervisor, dressed in his usual black and white suit assemble, looking much too amused for Harry's comfort.

"The press are a bunch of liars," Harry told the group with passion. Of course, he could never tell them just why he felt this way, so he hoped his tone would convince them of his sincerity.

Unfortunately, that didn't really work.

Martin rolled his eyes before dropping a folder in to Harry's arms.

Harry blinked.

"What is this?" he asked.

"I need you to go to Stark's apartment ASAP to get him to sign these documents," Martin said, "Normally it would be Ms. Potts' job, but she's currently on an extremely important business trip and cannot be reached. In situations like this, all decisional power passes to the ex-CEO."

"Let me guess," Harry sighed, "These documents must never be reproduced or scanned."

"Those are the instructions," Martin replied with a shit-eating grin. He was obviously enjoying himself way too much. "You can take the rest of the day off too, spend it with your lover boy. You can bring back the document tomorrow."

"He's not my lover boy!" Harry hissed between his teeth, ignoring the way Katy and Chris were trying not to fall over with laughter.

"Sure," Martin said, not sounding as if he believed Harry a bit. "Now get out of here."

With one last glare at the snickering trio, Harry left the room, folder in hand.

0000

"So, when will this Harry…Potter get here?" Loki asked, saying the name carefully as if he was unfamiliar with the young man he was asked to Assess. The Statute of Secrecy the Midgardians have cooked up doesn't exactly apply to him, but that doesn't mean Loki can tell whoever he wanted about the Wizarding world without consequences.

How dull…

"I have to call him," Tony told him, hand already reaching for his phone, "I wasn't sure when you would get here. He's working today so he should be easily reachable."

"For the Assessment to work," Loki spoke up once more, not looking anywhere but at Stark, "I need to have some privacy. Please do send everyone away. You can stay if you want Stark, since this is your house."

"I will stay as well," Thor said while the rest of the Avengers filed out of the room, surprisingly without any protest.

Loki shrugged. He had expected Thor to stay. The God would never had trusted him on his own, even with his powers bound. Thor only knew too well just how sneaky Loki can be if he put his mind to it. Escaping from the apartment wouldn't be out of the realm of possibility.

"I hope you know not to bother me during the assessment," he said haughtily.

Stark rolled his eyes, unimpressed by his act. Loki felt that he would probably have been more impressed if Loki had his powers and wasn't dressed like some teenager.

Just as Loki was thinking of ways to get back at Stark, Jarvis' voice interrupted them.

"Mr. Potter is here to see you Mr. Stark," the AI told them, "He looks…agitated."

"What wonderful timing," Stark said, not sounding worried at all at Harry's apparent agitation. "Let him up, Jarvis."

Loki looked on with interest as the numbers above the elevator door lit up one by one, until it stopped on the 6th floor, where they were currently sitting. The door slid open and a young man with messy black hair and a pair of the most luminous green eyes, walked through.

Loki had always been extremely sensitive to magic so the first thing that he noticed about Harry was the potent Death Magic that clung to the boy like a second skin. For a second, the feeling actually knocked the breath out of him. After all, Death magic wasn't something that was seen often; it was acknowledge by many as the most powerful brand of magic out there. The power to control the delicate balance between life and death was something that even the All-father didn't possess. It was absolutely incredible that this dark, otherworldly aura would be all over Potter.

Was that what Mjölnir had sensed when Potter had touched it? It would make sense in a way. If Potter had been deemed worthy by Death to be gifted with its magic, who was Mjölnir to refute that claim?

 _This_ , Loki thought, _was getting more and more interesting by the second_. If he played his cards right, this could be extremely beneficial to him. Especially considering that by all accounts, Potter didn't seem to be conscious of the raw power he possessed.

"Stark!"

Potter's angry voice interrupted Loki's thoughts and he watched in fascination as Potter stalked up to the billionaire and slapped a newspaper against his chest. Stark oomph a little before lowering his gaze to the newspaper.

"Oh?" he said sheepishly, "You saw that?"

"What is the meaning of this?" Potter hissed, sounding outraged. With his heightened emotions, the Death magic surrounding him became even more potent, expanding in mass until Loki was encompassed within its dark and seductive embrace. It was an incredible feeling really; and to his horror, Loki found himself slowly getting aroused.

 _It wasn't supposed to be sexual,_ Loki reminded himself as he forced himself to calm down. _Don't get distracted. Focus on the prize._ And what a tantalizing prize it was…Just imagining having influence on all that power made Loki salivate a little. _No_ , he told himself, _Move slowly. Don't get ahead of yourself._

"Really, Stark," Loki spoke up, eyes darting from the newspaper to Potter, "You should do some damage control."

"Thank you," Potter said, turning to Loki with a blinding smile, "And you are?"

"Loki," Loki replied, shaking his hand. A sparkle of recognition flashed in Potter's emerald orbs but surprisingly, he didn't snatch his hand away as if he had been burnt.

"Loki is a magic user," Stark told him, "As I'm sure you know from the news coverage of the attack on New York. Loki is here as part of his community service."

"I'm here to Assess you," Loki told the young man, who was now much more interested in the conversation then yelling at Stark, "The All-father is extremely interested in how you managed to life Mjölnir."

"That hammer again?" Harry grimaced before sighing in resignation. "Fine, let's get this over with, if it means that I won't get bothered so much."

Loki nodded before inviting him to sit.

Once Harry was sitting on the leather couch, Loki stood in front of him and closed his eyes. The Assessment process was pretty simple and didn't require much concentration, but Loki still preferred to do it this way, with his eyes closed.

His let his senses pour out and englobe Potter. The Death Magic was the most present thing, but Loki forced himself to ignore it and dig a little deeper. He would the familiar sheen of Wizarding Magic and then…

…A block? Why was there a block on Potter's powers?

Loki's eyes narrowed at the block, wondering if he should warn Potter before he attempted to remove it. A complete Assessment would be impossible with that block hindering his progress.

 _I'm sure it's nothing_ , Loki finally decided and poured even more magic in to the block. For a moment, it appeared as if it wouldn't budge, until it finally cracked open.

Loki didn't have time to celebrate because there was a yell of "Potter!" before Stark rushed by him to reach the sofa. Loki opened his eyes as well and focused on the now unconscious figure of Harry Potter.

 **TBC**


	16. In which Harry gains some new friends

**Chapter 16 In which Harry gains some new friends**

* * *

 ** _Tony Stark's apartment, New York, 11 March 2016_**

" _He's waking up_ ," said a voice from somewhere left of Harry.

" _Shhh_ ," said a second voice, this one female, " _Don't be so loud. He might have a headache._ "

Harry groaned, grateful for the second voice's interruption. She was right; whatever that Loki did to him really did give him a huge headache. If he didn't know better, he would have thought little miners have invaded his brain and was now merrily hammering away at everything they could find.

" _I'm sure he's fine_ ," said the first voice, his tone derisive, " _He's made of sterner stuff then that_."

Harry groaned again, this time more in annoyance then in actual pain and opened his eyes. The sight that greeted him was so…unexpected that he had to wonder for a moment if he was still somehow trapped in dreamland.

"Err…" he said, unsure of what to say.

" _Well_ ," the man huffed, crossing his nearly translucent arms across his chest, " _Aren't you the smooth talker?_ "

" _Oh, be quiet Howard_ ," said the woman, floating closer to Harry. While the man looked as if he had just reached 40, with black hair, a handsome face and wearing an expensive suit, the woman was old, with a head of white hair and a smile that could warm anyone's heart. If she hadn't been floating in midair (and nearly see-through, Harry might add) Harry would have smiled back.

"What are you?" he managed to ask after another moment of silence. As a Hogwarts graduate, Harry's first thought would have been "Ghosts", but the thing was with ghosts, they can only appear in places saturated with magic such as Hogwarts. There was no one any of them would have been able to materialize in an apartment situated in the middle of muggle New York.

" _We're…_ " the woman began, but didn't seem to know how to continue.

" _We're ghosts_ ," the man said matter-of-factedly, ignoring the way the woman had glared at him at the blunt response.

" _Howard_ ," she snapped, " _They told us not to call ourselves that_."

" _Peggy_ ," the man replied in the same tone, " _What do you propose we do then_?"

"Please," Harry interrupted, "Can you explain to me why I'm suddenly seeing ghosts in Muggle New York."

" _Oh_ ," the woman turned to him and gave him a grand-motherly smile, " _That's simple, dear. Do you remember three objects called the Deathly Hallows?_ "

"Yes," Harry said, taken aback, "But how do you know?"

" _We're supernatural creatures_ ," the man deadpanned, " _We know everything_."

" _Oh Howard_ ," the woman complained, " _Stop scaring him_."

Harry let out a small sigh of relief. However, that relief was cut short when the woman continued: " _We just know everything about you because you are special_."

"Why am I special?" Harry asked, somewhat resigned.

" _Because you have been acknowledged by Death as its new master_ ," explained his companion. " _There are two major steps to achieve the title of Master of Death; first you need to gather all the Deathly Hallows, which you did. The invisibility cloak was yours by heritage, the ring was given to you by its owner and the wand had been won by you fair and square_."

"I destroyed the wand," Harry reminded them, but only got an eye roll in return.

" _It's the Elder Wand,_ " the man said, his tone condescending, " _As in crafted by Death; do you really think snapping it in half could have destroyed it?_ "

Said it that way, Harry suddenly felt extremely foolish.

" _Anyway_ ," the woman continued, " _The second step is sacrificing yourself at that battle. Your actions showed your lack of fear in front of Death and cemented your new status. After all, how can Death serve anyone who is afraid of him?"_

"And what does this title entail?" Harry asked, not knowing what to expect or if he should really believe what might just be vivid dreaming on his part.

" _Immortality_ ," the woman shrugged, " _The ability to see spirits or remnants of people close to you or people you have relationships with; the ability to bring people back temporarily from the dead._ "

Harry's mouth opened, but before he could ask the question, the woman continued, " _There's another condition,_ " she said softly, " _there must be an unresolved issue preventing the spirit in question to move on. Your parents, as well as your godfather, are at peace with this world and have already moved on to a realm you have no control over._ "

"Oh," Harry's mouth snapped shut, suddenly feeling drained.

" _Great job Peggy,_ " the man snapped, " _Remind the kid of his dead parents; look, he's all depressed now._ "

" _He was about to ask the question_ ," Peggy glared, " _He needed to know_."

"Anyway," Harry interrupted, his voice sounding higher then usual, "Are you the only two ghosts around? Are you forced to stay at the place where you died or can you move around?"

" _Some ghosts are locked to particular place but not us,_ " Peggy explained, " _We are locked to a particular person_."

" _You can't mean me_ ," Harry said, " _I don't know you_."

" _But do I look familiar_?" the man asked and Harry narrowed his eyes at him. It took him a moment before he realized why his features had attracted Harry's attention at first.

"You look exactly like Tony Stark," he said in realization, wondering how he could have missed it. Sure the man was a little older than the current Stark but all the basic features were there; the same mouth, the same nose, the same eyes. "You're Howard Stark."

" _Bingo_ ," Howard said, smirking at him in a way Harry had seen multiple times on Tony Stark.

" _I'm Peggy Carter_ ," the old woman introduced herself, " _You might not know me_."

"Sorry," Harry sent her a sheepish smile.

" _I'm here because of Steve Rogers_."

"Captain America?"

"They were sweethearts," Stark cooed in an extremely annoying way and Harry wasn't surprised at all when Peggy slapped his shoulder in annoyance.

" _No one really know when someone is at peace and can move_ _on_ ," Peggy added, turning her attention back to Harry, " _Sometimes it's because we can still bring something to this world. How that's possible, I don't know_."

"And why can I suddenly see you now?"

" _There was a block on your powers,_ " Peggy explained, " _It was only when it was removed that this channel of communication was opened._ "

Before Harry could ask more about that block, the door to the bedroom opened and Tony Stark came in, followed by Loki.

"Thank god you're awake," Stark said, looking relieved, "You just fainted and Loki wouldn't explain what had happened."

"I have done nothing wrong," Loki glared at Stark.

Stark made a face and Harry heard a grunt from Howard.

" _Do I really look as ugly as him when I do that?_ " Harry heard the ghost ask Peggy.

" _Oh, shush,_ " Peggy said, and slapped his arm.

Despite the situation, Harry resisted the urge to smirk.

"I'm ok," he told the two man, "I don't know what happened but I'm ok now."

"Good," Stark nodded and turned to go, "I'll inform the rest of the team so they can stop planning Loki's demise."

Once Stark was gone, Loki turned to Harry and gave him a significant look. When Harry just started back in confusion, the man sighed and disappeared out the door as well.

" _So much drama_ ," Peggy sighed, " _It was so much simpler back in the days_."

"I truly doubt that," Harry mumbled and slowly forced his body out of the comfortable bed.

 **TBC**


	17. In which Fury gets involved

**Chapter 17 In which Fury gets involved**

 **A/N: The second half of the chapter was changed. I was about to involve Bruce Wayne but I decided to wait. Fury's here instead.**

* * *

 ** _Stark Industries HQ, New York, 12 March 2016_**

" _Are you sleeping?"_ asked a voice, sounding surprised, " _On the job? You don't look like the type._ "

Harry started, eyes wide as he quickly scanned the room. His gaze soon landed on the ghostly figure of Howard Stark, floating nonchalantly near the window, wearing an outfit different from the one he had worn the first time Harry had met him.

He wanted to reply and was about to when he remembered where he were. A few feet away, Katy and Chris continued to work on, unaware of their supernatural visitor. When Harry groaned, Katy looked up in surprise at him, but he just shook his head.

"I'm going to the bathroom," he told the two girls before getting up and exiting the room without waiting for a response.

Once he was safely in the men's bathroom, door locked behind him, he turned on Howard, frowning at the man.

"Do you have to disturb me while I'm working?" he asked, "And what are you doing here?"

" _Not my choice, boy_ ," Howard chided him, arms crossed, " _I go wherever my idiotic son goes these days. It's not an easy life, mind you. After he had decided to stop his partying days, he spends way too much time masturbating._ "

Harry choked.

"Excuse me?" he spluttered, face going red. That was way too much information regarding the man.

Howard rolled his eyes.

" _Don't be a prude_ ," he told him, " _It's entirely normal to masturbate, since my poor son isn't getting any._ "

"Stop," Harry said, raising his hands as if to create a physical barrier between Howard's words and his delicate ears, "Please…just stop."

Howard sighed.

" _Anyway_ ," he continued, blessedly changing the subject, " _Anthony is here to see you_."

"Why?" Harry asked, "I thought my last visit ensured that they won't be bothering me again."

" _Are you naïf_?" Howard snapped, " _Of course they won't stop bothering you. You're a fascinating specimen."_

"I'm not some kind of bug to be studied under a loop," Harry protested.

" _Never said you were_ ," Howard shrugged, " _Anthony just got off the elevator. If you don't want him to cause a scene with those two delightful colleagues of yours, you should really intercept him before he reaches your office._ "

Eyes wide, Harry turned around abruptly and pulled open the door…

…just in time to crash head first in to Tony Stark, who had been walking by.

"I'm so sorry," Harry said, as he tried to regain his balance. Stark looked surprised for a second before his usual smirk overcame his features.

"Why," he said, voice a little lower than usual, "What a delightful surprise…"

Blushing hard, Harry pushed himself away and glared at the man.

"I would appreciate if you could stop teasing me, Mr. Stark," he snapped, "It's extremely inappropriate."

" _That's nothing,_ " said Howard, unable to resist giving his two cents on the matter, " _If you want inappropriate, you should see the looks he throws towards poor Steve's ass whenever he thinks Steve's not looking. He should be ashamed to ogle Captain America so openly._ "

"Excuse me," Harry choked, unable to contain his reaction in time. Stark looked at him in confusion and Harry turned even redder.

 _Stupid ghosts,_ he thought to himself.

"Are you…ok?" Stark asked him, voice unsure for the first time.

"Yeah," Harry sighed, "I'm fine. How can I help you?"

Stark grimaced.

"There's someone who's insisting to meet you."

"Oh?" Harry blinked at him, waiting for more information.

"Nick Fury," Tony said. The annoyance in his tone suggested that he wasn't amused by Fury's presence.

Harry bit his lips.

"I know him," he admitted. No use lying about it here; the moment Fury sees him, they will all know.

"You do?" Stark was intrigued, "How do you know him?"

Harry shook his head.

"Not until you do a favor for me," he smirked, "Where is Fury now?"

"Back at my apartment," Stark sighed, "Shall we take my limo? You can have the rest of the day off."

* * *

Fury looked as happy to see Harry as Harry is to see him.

"Potter," he said, nodding cordially.

"Director," Harry replied, nodding back.

"What is going on?" he heard Hawkeye whisper in the background. Harry ignored him.

"How may I help you?"

Fury glanced at the assembled Avengers.

"Not here," he finally said, turning around, "Follow me."

Harry followed, intrigued.

"Hey!" Stark protested. "Why can't we stay?"

"It's private," Fury snapped, his patience for Stark all but non-existent.

Once they were in a private room, Harry quickly threw up a privacy ward and waited for the other man to speak.

"You're not taking firecalls anymore," was the first thing out of Fury's mouth.

Harry's eyebrows arched.

"I didn't know you used firecalls," he said. Up until now, he had been certain Fury was a muggle.

"Kingsley called me." A grimace. "He's been trying to contact you for some time. There's some new development back in London."

From the inside of his pocket, Fury extracted a couple of photographs and handed them to Harry. Harry took them.

"A necklace?" he said.

"A cursed necklace," Fury corrected, "No one knows where they come from. This particular model was sent to a young girl in Westminster. The moment she had touched it, it drove her crazy. She killed her little brother by stabbing him 12 times."

Harry winced.

"Kingsley is fearing the worse," Fury continued.

"Another Dark Lord," Harry said grimly, "One with an equal hatred for muggles and an equal love for death and destruction."

"Yes," Fury nodded.

Harry laughed humorously.

"What is up with Britain and its tendency to produce Dark Lords?"

Fury ignored his question.

"Whoever is doing this is planning to expand. In fact, he has already started. The Brazilian Ministry of Magic has reported two similar cases just a few days ago."

"And are you going to get the Avengers involved in this?"

Fury shook his head.

"This has nothing to do with what the Avengers are for," he said much to Harry's relief, "Kingsley wants your input on this. How about it Potter? Ready to get back in to the thick of things?"

Harry sighed.

"Not that I have much choice." He glanced at the photographs again. "Yeah, count me in."

 **TBC**


	18. In which Harry says his goodbyes

**Chapter 18 In which Harry says his goodbyes**

 **A/N: Please re-read chapter 3 (revised) to understand everything in this chapter. But it's ok if you don't, it's not an essential point to the plot. Enjoy.  
**

* * *

 **New York, 13 March 2016**

"Hey Martin, can I come in?"

Harry smiled.

Martin stared at him.

"I'm here to say goodbye," Harry said, taking a seat in front of the desk.

"Goodbye?" Martin repeated, sounding incredulous, "Did you get fired?"

"No," Harry shook his head, "My old boss needs my help with something so I'll be going back to London for some time. Since I'm not sure when I'll be back, it's better for me to do a clean break."

"Oh."

"I really enjoyed my time here," Harry continued, "Katy and Chris were great and the rest of the staff here have all been really welcoming."

"I'll be sad to see you go," Martin said, sincere, "I have never met someone like you."

"Someone who is willing to stand up to the big guy?"

Martin laughed.

"Yeah," he agreed, "That."

"Don't worry about Stark," Harry told him, "He'll behave from now on."

A strange expression crossed Martin's face.

Harry's eyes narrowed.

"You want to say something," he needled, "Talk."

"It's just," Martin shrugged, looking embarrassed, "I'm not one for gossip, but…are you and Stark-"

He trailed off, his cheeks turning red.

Harry rolled his eyes.

"No," he replied emphatically, "There is no me and Stark. That reporter misquoted something that Stark had said. You should know better then to trust gossip mags."

"Yeah," Martin sighed, "Anyway, thanks for coming to say goodbye. Hopefully this won't be the last time I'll see you Potter."

Harry smiled broadly.

"Sure," he allowed, "We'll see."

* * *

"Did Jarvis let you in?"

Stark's expression was unamused as Harry stepped out of the shadows and nearly gave him a heart attack.

"He did," he confirmed, sending a mental thank you to the AI.

"He's getting insubordinate again," Stark muttered darkly. There was a beep from his right and Harry watched in interest as a claw-on-wheels contraption rolled over.

"Dummy," Stark chided the…thing, sounding as if he was talking to a real child.

"Who's he?"

"Dummy," Stark patted the robot on it's head, "He's my first AI. Built him at 17."

"That's pretty impressive," Harry said, "I can't imagine building anything like this at 17." In fact, at 17, he could still remember being an emotionally unstable mess with a madman out for his blood.

Harry knelt down in front of Dummy, smiling when the robot turned to him and offered up his claw for a shake.

"It's nice to meet you," Harry shook the claw before standing up again.

Stark was staring at him weirdly.

"Is something wrong?"

"No," the billionaire shook his head and turned away, "It's just not many people treat Dummy like that; as if he has a conscious."

"They just don't understand," Harry said, patting Dummy on the head like Stark had done a few seconds ago. Dummy chirped happily before it rolled off.

"So," Stark turned to him, his arm crossed, "How do you know Nick Fury?"

"That's classified," Harry said in his best imitation of James Bond.

Stark rolled his eyes.

"Is our arrangement still valid for this?" he asked, "I'll do you a favor and you'll tell me all about it?"

"It is," Harry said after a few minutes of thought, "Unfortunately I don't have any favors in mind and won't have time to think of some for some time."

Stark's eyes narrowed.

"Why?"

"I'm leaving the States," Harry said, "For how long, I'm not sure. My old boss has something he needs my help with. I have already resigned from my job at Stark Industries."

"Are you coming back?" Stark asked, actually sounding as if he cared.

Harry shrugged.

"Maybe," he said, "But I think it's time for me to turn to a new page and start a new chapter."

Stark was silent for a minute.

"Expect Thor to pay you a visit soon," he finally said.

"I know," Harry nodded. "I've gathered. If you really need me, I guess Fury can contact me."

Stark was still looking at him with that strange expression so Harry looked away, a little discomforted.

"What's wrong Mr. Stark?" he asked.

"Tony," Stark corrected with a sigh, "Call me Tony."

Since this was the last time he'll see the man in some time, Harry agreed.

"Tony," he smiled, "What's wrong Tony?"

"Will you find it weird if I say I'm sad to see you go?"

"No," Harry replied. Their relationship was weird, he decided. One, because all things considered, they shouldn't even have a relationship. Harry liked Tony. Not in a romantic way or anything, but there was just something about Tony that called out to him; he'll never forget him, that's for sure.

Tony's lips pursed in thought.

"Will you do me a favor before you leave?" he asked.

"A favor?" Harry repeated, intrigued.

"Go on a date with me."

Harry blinked at his forwardness.

"Really?" he said, surprised, "I thought Tony Stark didn't date."

"Don't believe everything you read," Tony smiled, "How about it? Just dinner and maybe a good night kiss."

Harry shrugged.

"I guess," he said, "But I have to break it off with my boyfriend first. I'm not really one for cheating."

"Boyfriend?"

"I was living with him," Harry said, "Dylan Sheppard."

"Sheppard as in Sheppard Steels?"

"Yeah," Harry confirmed, "That's him. I met him a year ago when his father hired me to do some auditing work. We hit it off. I like him and all, but I just don't see a future with him or with anyone I have dated for that matter. Besides, I think he hasn't exactly been faithful."

"And you're not sad?"

"Nah," Harry shrugged, "It has come to a point where we are more friends with benefits then actual lovers. I'll break it off with him and I'll go out with you. I'm leaving tomorrow so it'll have to be tonight."

"No problem," Tony agreed, "I'll pick you up at 7. Wear something formal."

"Got it," Harry called out a goodbye to Dummy and Jarvis before going back the way he had came.

* * *

"Oh Harry," Hermione said, "I'm so glad you are coming back. I have missed you so."

"I missed you too," he said, putting a couple of shirts in to his bag. He had debated on whether to use magic to accelerate the packing but decided doing it manually will help him pass time. Besides, he was free as a bird until his date tonight. "I'll be back tomorrow."

"What made you change your mind?" Hermione sounded intrigued.

"I got a call from Kingsley," he admitted, not wanting to keep things from Hermione, "He needs my help with something. I agreed."

"No wonder he came over to ask me if I could contact you for him?" Hermione bit her lip in recognition, "But I was so busy I told him to go someone else."

"Hermione," Harry gasped in mock incredulity, "You have changed."

Hermione gave an embarrassed smile.

"Shall we have a welcome back party for you?"

"Nah," Harry shrugged, "Don't bother."

"Oh, but I want to," Hermione insisted. "Please Harry."

Even through the phone, Harry could imagine her big brown eyes staring pleadingly at him.

"Fine," he allowed, "But only a small one. I really don't want some kind of big production."

"Got it," Hermione replied, "A small party. Can't wait to see you."

For a minute, Harry debated on whether to tell Hermione about his plans for the evening before deciding to go with it.

"Tony Stark asked me out today," he said, "I agreed."

Hermione shrieked.

"Oh Merlin," she said, excitement coloring her tone, "Wow. You're dating a celebrity."

"I am a celebrity," he reminded her, making her laugh.

"But you'll Harry; that's different."

Harry pouted.

"What? Am I no longer your favorite celebrity?"

"You know that's not true," Hermione told him pleasantly, "You're always be my number 1."

"Don't let Ron hear that," Harry said, "He'll get jealous."

"Ron's being extremely stupid these days," Hermione hissed in annoyance, "I'm no longer speaking to him until he gets his head out of his ass."

"That's not likely to happen," Harry pursed his lips in thought, "Good thing I'm going back. I'll give him a good kick for you."

"But that's not important," Hermione gushed, "Harry! Tony Stark! Really?"

"The age difference doesn't bother you?"

"No," Hermione said immediately, "Does it bother you?"

"No," Harry said. In light of everything he had learned about himself (partly thanks to Loki), a 10 years age difference was nothing.

"Good," Hermione said fervently, "Don't let other people tell you how you should feel. If you like him enough to say yes, then I'm behind you 100%."

"Aww," Harry said, smiling. "You're such a good friend. I may have failed to appreciate your awesomeness when I was younger, but now I see just how great you are."

"Stop distracting me," Hermione chided, but Harry could hear that she was pleased, "Anyone, you broke it off with Dylan right?"

"Caught him kissing some guy in the living room," Harry said nonchalantly, "It actually made things easier. He left, thinking I was still angry."

"Oh Harry," Hermione sighed, "I'm so sorry."

"I'm not. We had some great times, but now it's time to move on."

"Do you think Stark is the one?"

Harry choked.

"Hermione! It's only one date," he told her, laughing, "I'm not even sure I'll see the guy after this. And besides, what's up with you and your obsession with soul mates. You do know they don't exist."

"Of course they do," Hermione chided him.

Harry sighed.

"I truly doubt he's the one," he said.

"That's ok," Hermione replied cheerfully, "What are you going to wear?"

Harry glanced over at his closet.

"I don't know," he admitted, "I didn't bring any formal wear with me."

"Don't worry," Hermione told him, "Daphne in New York at the moment. She recently expanded her clothing line to muggle wear. She has some pretty high class suits that will fit your needs perfectly. Give her a call."

Harry dutifully transcribed the number Hermione told him on to a piece of paper.

"Thanks Hermione," he told her, "I'll call her now."

"You do that," Hermione said warmly, "See you soon Harry."

"See ya."

Harry hung up before quickly dialing Daphne's number.

 **TBC**

 **Next Chapter: In which Harry has a date. Since Harry is Harry, things won't go exactly as planned. The cursed artifacts strikes once more and Harry shows off some incredible fighting skills. Stay Tune.**


	19. In which Harry has a date

**Chapter 19 In which Harry has a date**

* * *

Daphne Greengrass was not amused when she picked up the phone and Harry had explained his situation.

"Let me get this straight," she said, "You want me to get you something for tonight? Potter! Don't you have any idea how long these things can take."

"I know," Harry placated, "Please…you're my last hope and I know from Hermione just how talented you are."

She let out a sigh, more catlike then human.

"Fine," she hissed, "But you better pay extra for this."

Harry smiled.

"I'll give you my current address in New York. Come over right now. I'll be waiting."

After giving him a street number and a street name, Daphne hung up.

Harry quickly stuffed the rest of his stuff in to his luggage before sealing everything up. Then he made his way out the door.

Daphne was indeed waiting for him in front of a little shop, looking harried and annoyed, not very businesslike but Harry could forgive her for it. He did put her on the spot.

"Come in," she snapped, taking his arm and pulling him in to the shop's interior. The inside was nice, with a Victorian themed décor that reminded Harry of the old Potter Manor. Another woman, this one older then Daphne, stood by a rack of clothing. She smiled at Harry when he entered but didn't greet him verbally.

"Stand," Daphne ordered, pushing him until he was exactly where she wanted him. For the next few minutes, Daphne and the unnamed woman probed and prodded at him, taking measurements and muttering to themselves. Finally, after what seemed to be an eternity, Daphne waved her hands in a dismissive gesture and all the little knickknacks that had been floating in the air returned to their boxes.

"Ok," she said, turning to the woman, "Do you have everything?"

"Yes Mme," the woman replied and Daphne nodded in satisfaction.

"Wait here," she snapped at Harry before she and her companion disappeared in to a back room.

Harry sighed, settling in for a long wait.

The result was gorgeous.

"Wow," Harry said, turning around to get a 360-degree view of his body clad in Daphne's newest creation, "Thank you so much."

The suit was a dark blue color, made of a sort of material that felt fantastic against his bare skin.

Harry grinned enthusiastically.

"Fantastic cut," he told her, "You did a great job. You just got yourself a return customer."

She was obviously torn between being pleased at his praise and annoyed to make her rush her work.

Pleased won out at the end.

"You're not half bad Potter," she finally allowed and from her, it was a ringing endorsement.

* * *

At exactly 7 that evening, a sleek grey latest-of-the-line Lamborghini pulled up in front of Harry's apartment. Harry watched as Stark got out of the car and headed towards the main door. He opened it before he could ring the doorbell and attract the attention of his neighbors.

"Hello," Harry greeted him, smiling.

"Hello," Tony replied, blatantly looking him up and down. It should have annoyed him, but Harry was feeling generous tonight so he simply winked before passing Stark and heading towards the vehicle.

The drive to the restaurant passed in companionable conversation. Nothing about Harry's past; simply idle remarks about the weather, the economy and Harry's suit. Stark was obviously impressed with the workmanship and Harry promised to give him Daphne's address. He hoped that would be enough to repay the woman for helping him out.

"She's still starting out," Harry explained as the sports car pulled in front of a building Harry had read in a magazine before. Chez Gaston, one of New York's finest French restaurants. Harry approved of the choice.

A valet was waiting for them and took care of Tony's keys without fanfare or remarks on who he was. The staff here must have been trained to be extra discrete in matters concerning celebrity clients. Harry was at least grateful for that. Their picture showing up in the press the next day would certainly ruin his mood – and any goodwill he felt towards Stark.

The Maitre D brought them to a small table near the window; intimate and secluded, thanks to the strategic placement of a potter plant of indiscernible species. He put the two menu on the table before making his retreat.

Harry sat down opposite Stark, taking up one menu and glancing over the content. The lack of any dollar amount next to each item didn't surprise Harry. Anyone who could afford to eat here probably wouldn't care about the dollar amount.

"What are you going to order?" Harry asked.

Stark took a moment to consider.

"I'll take the Porc à la Dijonnaise," he said, the words coming out with only a hint of his American accent. "What about you?"

"I'll take the Escargot à la Francaise."

Stark looked impressed at his flawless pronouciation.

"Do you speak French?" he asked.

"I do," Harry confirmed, "My job had required it."

During his days as an Auror, he had been posted in Paris for about 2 month. The undercover mission required him to fit in so the ministry thought it would be prudent to use a combination of memory potions and learning charms to teach him the language instead of letting him rely on a translation spell that may fail him at the most crucial time.

"What did you do before becoming an accountant?" Stark asked, "I'm curious because not only are there no records of you anywhere before your enrollment in University, you just don't strike me as someone who would want to pour over numbers for the rest of your life."

"What do you think I did?" Harry asked, curious.

"Some kind of spy," Stark replied immedietly, making Harry smile.

"Close," he allowed, "But not quite."

The billionaire's eyes widened in surprise.

"I knew it," he crowed, "I knew it was something along those lines. Otherwise, how else would you know Fury?"

"Actually," Harry said, "I met Fury when I received my Victoria Cross."

"Did he try to recruit you?"

Harry laughed.

"Oh yeah," he answered, "He did, but I shot him down. I already had a job and working for him sounds like a pain in the ass.

Before their main course was set to arrive, Tony excused himself to the washroom, leaving Harry alone at their table. He wasn't surprised that as soon as Tony had disappeared, the ghastly figure of Howard Stark popped in to existence.

"Hello there," Harry greeted him, making sure to keep his voice low and his gaze on his menu, "How are you doing? Long time no see."

"Didn't know you were interested in my son," Howard said gruffly, but he didn't sound disapproving.

"I'm just giving him a chance," Harry shrugged, "There's no pressure here."

"He really likes you," Howard continued, "At least, for someone who has just met you. I think you'll be good for each other."

Harry smiled.

"It's just the first date," he told him, "And I'm not even sure if there's going to be a second. I'm leaving, remember?"

"Well, I don't know if that's be enough to shake Tony off once he develops an interest in you," Howard said sagely, "I remember when he was young, we had a nanny he adored. Unfortunately, she had to leave to take care of her ailing cousin two cities over. Tony has somehow found out where she went and took a train to go see her. He refused to come home without her and we had to bring her and her cousin back with us."

Harry grinned.

"Sounds like him."

Tony returns just after that and for some reason, Howard doesn't leave, preferring to float near the table. Harry nearly choked when the waiter returned with their food and stepped right through Howard. The offended look on the ghost's face was nearly enough to send him in to hysterics.

"You're really red," Tony remarked, sounding confused, "And I haven't even started flirting yet."

"It's a little hot," Harry replied quickly and took a sip from his water. The cold liquid cooled him down considerably.

The food was delicious and Harry enjoyed himself immensely. The company was fantastic as well. For someone whom the media has depicted as self-centered and arrogant, Stark was a surprisingly good listener and had a lot of interesting stories to tell. Howard's running commentary on the whole affair made some of the stories hilarious. Tony looked delighted and a little surprised at Harry's reaction, but Harry was having too much fun to care.

It was when desert time came that shit hit the fan.

A commotion on the other side of the room stopped Tony in mid-sentence.

"What's going on?" Harry asked, turning to see whatever had captured Tony's attention. He paled when he saw a man, dressed elegantly in a dark grey suit, holding a knife to the neck of a waitress. It must be totally out of character because everyone around him looked more dumbfounded at the moment then scared.

"Call the police," Harry said, already planning ways to get the woman away.

"Err," said Tony, "Is that man's necklace glowing?"

Harry's eyes narrowed on the assailant's neck and saw that Tony was right. His mind immediately went back to what Fury had told him and the picture he had seen.

His face paled.

"This isn't good," he muttered.

First things first, Harry decided, waving his hands discreetly. Wandless magic came more naturally to him then others, but it's still not easy by any means. A wandless spell won't be as strong as a spell done with a wand, but at the moment, he really couldn't see himself take out his wand from its holster.

The spell Harry cast was a modified version of a stunning spell; it is designed to make everyone around the caster fall asleep. Harry sighed in relief when the magic worked as it should and people started to drop like flies.

"What was that?" Tony asked.

Harry turned to him, surprised when he didn't even show a hint of sleepiness.

Why didn't it work?

Unfortunately, Tony wasn't the only one unaffected. The cursed man was also wide awake and was now coming towards them, knife in hand.

Harry pushed Tony out of the way before the man could stab him and sent a wordless stunning spell towards the assailant. It missed. For a man in his late 50s, he was extremely agile.

The fight continued on for about 2 minutes. Tony took cover behind an upturned table while Harry tried everything in his arsenal to slow his attacker down. Did the necklace give the guy superhuman strength as well? Because there was no other explanation as a chair flew over his head and landed with a loud thump somewhere behind him.

Harry cursed, ducked another flying projectile before leaping over the debris of what has once been a table and shot off another stunning spell. The spell finally hit its target and the man dropped to the floor.

"What the heck was that!" Tony asked breathless, coming out from behind the table now that the danger has passed. He joined Harry as they knelt down beside the unconscious man.

The necklace had stopped glowing.

Harry sighed.

"Sorry this ruined our date," he said absentmindedly, trying to come up with ideas as to how to remove the necklace.

"Ruin?" Tony laughed, "This made things better. No date is complete without a fight in my opinion."

Harry rolled his eyes and looked about him for a napkin.

"But really," Tony continued, "This necklace looks really weird."

"Don't touch it," Harry warned.

"Oh come on," Tony rolled his eyes, "One touch; what's going to happen?"

Before Harry could stop him, Tony had already reached out and grabbed on to the necklace. The moment he did so, his eyes rolled back in its sockets and his body fell to the ground.

"Tony!" Harry gasped, crouching over him and checking for a pulse. He sighed in relief when he felt one.

It was then the cavalry came.

* * *

 **Next chapter:** Title secret because it'll give away the story. Stay tune for the aftermath of Tony's idiotic actions (But it's not really his fault - you'll see why next chapter). What did the cursed artifact do to him? Will this delay Harry's return to London?

Thank you all for the wonderful response so far. All your support means a lot to me and encourages to update faster. Thank you so much. See you next chapter.


	20. In which the Avengers learns about magic

**Chapter 20** ** _In which the Avengers are introduced to magic_**

 ** _A/N: PLEASE READ. I have created a tumblr blog at myficscrystal dot tumblr dot com._** _If you would like to see more of my writing, do follow me. You can send me prompts as well. I have moved my fanfic Blue Moon to that blog and will be continuing updating the fic via the blog. Any one-shots or multi-chapter story I post there will be exclusive to Tumblr and will not be cross-posted. This is due to rating concerns. Fic on my blog will be more "mature" in terms of sexual content._

 _With that said,_

 _Enjoy this chapter._

* * *

"Any news?" Harry asked.

It has been an hour since the incident after which Tony's body has been brought back to his apartment. They were sitting in the living room, the representative of the American ministry of magic on one side and the Avengers on the other. The latter haven't been debriefed yet and were looking rather lost in the face of the new developments.

"The only thing we can determine is that the necklace has some sort of compulsion charm. That is why Stark made the stupid decision to touch it. Luckily you were able to resist it."

Harry sighed.

"That's it? Nothing on what the necklace had done to Tony and why he isn't waking up."

The other man shook his head.

"I'm sorry. We will have to bring the necklace back to the ministry for further testing. But for now, this is the extent of what we can do."

"What's going on?"

Nick Fury took that moment to enter the room, looking tired and annoyed.

"Why weren't I called regarding this?"

"With all due respect," the ministry worker said, his hackles rising at Fury's tone, "This is not under your jurisdiction."

"Stark is under my jurisdiction," Fury snapped, "And since he's fallen victim to this…thing, it becomes my problem."

"I think," Harry said, looking at the two man currently facing off, "that all things considered, we should tell the rest of the Avengers what is going on here."

"I agree," Hawkeye chirped, speaking for the first time since they had sat down. Next to him, Natasha stayed unnaturally silent.

"Is Tony going to be ok?" Dr. Banner asked, biting his lip.

"From what we can see," the ministry worker replied, "There's nothing physically wrong with Mr. Stark. Why he isn't waking up is confusing."

"He's going to be fine," Harry told the doctor, "We'll sort this out."

"Director," Captain Rogers spoke, his tone sharp, "Can you tell us what this is all about?"

Fury didn't reply. Instead, he turned to Harry and the ministry official.

"Do I have your permission, gentlemen?"

"Under the circumstances," Harry said, "Permission is granted."

"You do not have the authority to grant anything!" the ministry worker turned to Harry and glared.

Harry smirked at him.

"On the contrary, the authority has been given to me by Her Majesty herself. You are free to check with your superiors of course, but it'll really be just a waste of time."

The ministry worker's eyes bulged.

"Who…" he stuttered, "Who are you?"

"Harry James Potter," Harry replied, "Order of Merlin First Class. I'm sure you've heard of me, even across the pond."

The change in his demeanor was instantaneous.

"Oh my, Mr. Potter," he gushed, shaking Harry's hands with enthusiast, "I'm so sorry I didn't recognize you. Of course you can go ahead. If you believe this is the right thing to do, I'm sure our Minister will also agree as will the muggle President."

"Thank you," Harry said with a nod.

"Now that's settled," said Fury, "Shall we get this show on the road?"

* * *

The explanation took the better half of two hours and by the end of it, Captain Rogers was blinking repeatedly, Hawkeye was looking extremely excited, the Black Widow expressionless and Dr. Banner, on the verge of an emotional breakdown. But all in all, they were surprisingly accepting of the whole thing. But still, their reactions were pretty amusing.

Too bad Tony wasn't here to see this.

"Can we ask Loki for help?" Captain Rogers finally asked, his tone hesitant, "If this is a magical affair, I'm sure he can help."

Silence.

"Oh Merlin," Harry groaned, resisting the urge to hit his head on the table at his own stupidity, "Why haven't I thought about that?"

"Don't worry," Fury said darkly, "I haven't thought of it either. Good job Captain."

Captain Rogers looked pleased that his comment had been some use.

"Where is Loki?" Hawkeye asked, "The last I saw, he was with Thor."

"He's still with Thor," the Black Widow replied, "I think he's off to Asgard to report back to his father. I don't know how we are supposed to contact him."

They sat together in companionable silence as they pondered their present dilemma.

"Everyone," Jarvis interrupted, breaking the silence. He sounded stressed. "There's an unauthorized presence in Mr. Stark's laboratory."

Dr. Banner looked alarmed at that, nearly jumping out of his seat.

"Is that possible? Tony locked that thing up better than the National Bank."

"My readings indicate that there is indeed a human presence in the Lab. I am unable to verify his identity."

"I'll go take a look," Dr. Banner stood up and started to head towards the door.

"I'm coming with you," Harry said quickly. He really didn't want the other man to be unprotected in case this was the result of a magical interference.

* * *

The lab door were closed when they arrived but Jarvis opened them without them asking. Inside, it was eerily silent, with nothing seemingly out of place.

"Jarvis," Dr. Banner said, voice low, "Is he still there?"

"Yes sir," the AI replied, sounding as stressed as an AI could sound, "He's behind the worktable. My cameras are blocked by the surface."

Carefully, they made their way towards the table, Harry with his wand in hand ready to attack or defend. Except…

"What the hell?"

He blinked.

Jarvis was right. There was indeed a human presence behind the table; a human child to be exact.

The boy looked about 5, his rosy cheeks and curly black hair giving him a cherubic appearance. He was also naked, but luckily the ambient temperature of the lab was set to a comfortable level so he didn't seem to be freezing.

"That's a child right?" Harry said, pointing at their intruder, "I'm not hallucinating right?"

"That is indeed a child," Dr. Banner replied, sounding lost.

They took a few minute just to stare at the kid.

"Alright Jarvis," Dr. Banner spoke up, still keeping an eye in case the child started to mutate, "Is anything missing here?"

Jarvis took a few moments to check before it said, voice incredulous.

"Dummy is gone."

"Dummy is gone?" Dr. Banner looked around as did Harry. Jarvis was right; the familiar claw-on-wheels contraption that was Tony's first invention, was no where in sight.

"Dummy!" Dr. Banner called out, "Dummy!"

No reply. Except, every time Dummy was called out, the little boy let out a happy sound and clapped his hands.

Harry stared.

 _Was it possible?_

He turned to Dr. Banner, one hand pointing at the boy, still unsure if he was jumping to conclusions way too fast.

"I may be crazy but I think that's Dummy," he said.

* * *

As it turned out, he was right. The little boy reeked of magic - metamorphosis magic to be more precise. This meant he had been something else before he was turned in to a boy. By putting all the clues together, it only made sense that this was Dummy.

"Transformation magic this advanced is unheard of," the ministry official said, looking scared. "Mr. Potter, I-"

"You're right."

On the floor in front of them, and now dressed in a long t-shirt, Dummy the-robot-turned-boy giggled and clapped his hands once more.

"The fact that someone is capable of this," Harry took a big breath. Whoever was doing this was on an entirely new level. Harry wasn't even sure Dumbledore was capable of this level of magic. Was this even the same culprit as the person sending out cursed artifacts? And if it was, how in Merlin's name did he accomplish this? And what did this have to do with everything else that's been going on?

So many questions and so little answers. It was frustrating to say the least.

For a few minutes, Harry and the ministry official traded ideas back and forth, arguing about the best course of action. The official wanted to bring Dummy back to the ministry to be tested but Harry refused. Robot or not, this was still a human child they were talking about. They weren't going to treat him like a lab rat.

And it was during that conversation that Jarvis informed everyone that Tony Stark had just woken up.

Harry wondered how he was going to explain all this.

 **TBC**

* * *

 **The idea of a human Dummy has been inspired by another fic. Dummy is transformed in to a human child by magic, but he won't be the main focus. The other fic is entirely focused on the avengers raising human dummy. If you are interested in the other fic, it's on AO3.**

archiveofourown series / 18990. It's slash Steve Rogers/Tony Stark.

 **Next chapter:** More information about the necklace. It'll make sense I promise. Tony wakes up and isn't really sure how to deal with a child. But he is nonetheless extremely protective.

Stay tune.

* * *

 **Tumblr Update: I have published a new Alex Rider/Kingsman Secret Service Fic on Tumblr. Since it will contain sexual content, it will only be published there. Here's the summary:**

Gary Unwin is the latest victim of a series of suspicious death all with one person in common, suspected drug lord "Dean". To gain intel on Dean's operations, Alex, who bears an uncanning resemblance to the late Gary, is sent undercover. His mission include making Gary's mother and Gary's friends believe he's really Gary. It was supposed to be a simple 2 weeks job before he gets to go home. But things gets a little complicated when Alex makes the acquaintance of Harry Hart and gets involved in an international spy organization called the Kingsmen.

Hope to see you there.


	21. In which Harry is given a quest

**Chapter 21 In which Harry is given a quest  
**

 **A/N: Thank you so much for all the wonderful support. We have officially reached 1000 reviews. I'm extremely happy that you guys seems to enjoy this. So here's the next chapter. Before we start,**

 **A/N: TUMBLR UPDATE – myficscrystal dot tumblr dot com**

First of all, thank you so much to everyone who have followed me on Tumblr. These are the current fics I have posted. If you are interested, head over and take a look. Follow me to get my fics on your dash. If you have any questions regarding Tumblr, please message me. The reason why I post on Tumblr vs Ffn is because of the ratings and vs AO3 is because it's easier to format on Tumblr (and I have already started on Tumblr).

 **Here are the fics:**

An Unexpected Romance (Stiles S./Peter Hale – Multichapter 1/?) Rating M next chapter.

Sterek Celebrity AU with Actor!Derek and Student!Stiles (Stiles/Derek – Multichapter 2/?)

Unconventional (Harry Potter/Tony Stark – Multichapter 4/?) Rating M next chapter.

Coffee shop (Kurt (Glee)/Harry Potter – Multichapter 1/?)

Blue Moon (Harry Potter/Tony Stark – Multichapter 2/?) Rating M really soon.

Gary Unwin (Alex Rider/Harry Hart – Multichapter 1/?)

I will be posting at least once per day. Come check it out.

Now, without further ado, here's the chapter.

* * *

Tony wakes up confused.

"Why am I here?" he asked, eying Harry who had just came in.

"How are you feeling?" Harry said, smiling, "You're here because you fainted at the restaurant and was brought here. Do you remember anything?"

"No," Tony sighed, rubbing his face, "Not really. Ok, I remember that crazy guy."

"He attacked that waitress and I knocked him out."

Tony nodded.

"I remember touching that weird-ass necklace he had than nothing."

"That necklace had a spell on it that caused you to faint," Harry explained, "Although what that spell actually was is still unknown."

Tony looked skeptical.

"Spell? Like magic?"

"Yes," Harry confirmed, "Wizarding magic. I'm a wizard."

The billionaire's reaction, Harry decided, was pretty anticlimactic all things considered.

"Oh," he sighed, "Good for you."

"Right," Harry huffed, taking a seat next to the bed, "You are no fun."

This got him a sheepish smile.

"With Loki and the Alien attack, I kind of got used to weird things happening around me."

"Then you won't faint if I tell you that whoever did this also turned Dummy in to a human boy."

Tony blinked.

"Excuse me?"

"Dummy," Harry smiled, "Turned in to a child. He's playing in the living room. He seems healthy enough but he can't seem to speak."

"Dummy has never been programmed to have a vocal box," Tony said dazedly, eyes nearly bulging out of his skull, "But you're serious? He's really…human."

"Yep," Harry replied, "Congratulations, you just became a father."

"Oh god," Tony said faintly, holding on to the covers for dear life, "Oh god."

"When you're feeling better, you can come out to say hello."

Tony let out a trembling sigh.

"I don't think I'll make a good father," he finally admitted, "Although deep down, I always wanted children."

"Your father's failures are not your own," Harry said, recognizing Tony's tone, "Your parenting methods will be different from his. You'll do fine."

"Can't you stay here and help me?" the billionaire pleaded, "Does your old boss need you urgently?"

Harry made a face. In the excitement of the past few hours, he had totally forgotten his plans to return to London.

"I'm not sure," he admitted.

And it was at that moment the door opened and Dummy wobbled in, eyes wide as he centered his attention on Tony. He gave the man a big smile before coming closer and attempting to climb up on the bed.

"Ehh," Tony looked entirely out of depth on what to do, so he did the only thing he could think of and supported Dummy as he climbed up and started to explore. It didn't take long for the boy/robot to get bored and settled down against the billionaire, his eyes closing as he curled in on himself.

"He's adorable," Harry cooed, unable to resist touching Dummy's hair. It was softer than he would have imagined.

"Ehh," said Tony.

Harry laughed easily, but not loud enough to disturb the napping boy.

This, he decided, was nice.

* * *

4 hours after Tony had woken up (and promptly fell asleep again), the ministry official returned. He had left with the necklace some time ago to ask his experts on what the thing did.

"After some extensive testing, it appears that this artifact can grant wishes."

"Wishes?"

The official looked extremely grim as he continued.

"It's like the genie in muggle culture; it can grant wishes but will twist your wish in such a way that you are almost always better off not to have made it in the first place. That man in the restaurant; we talked to his family members and friends, he appeared to desire attention. In other words, he wanted the courage to be the center of attention for once. The necklace did grant him his wish…just not in the way he had anticipated."

"It makes sense," Harry nodded, "Tony admitted he wanted children so the magic turned one of his robots in to a child. Twisted, but the logic is there."

"There's something else."

Harry stayed silent, waiting for the other man to go on.

"This artifact is part of a series of 7 artifacts sealed away by the ancient Egyptians when their power started to spread chaos. Unfortunately, records of the 6 other artifacts have been destroyed."

"There are other things this powerful out there?" Harry gaped.

"The Egyptian minister of magic has agreed to meet with you in a few days time. He'll give you everything he has on the artifacts then."

"I understand," Harry sighed. "Will I be traveling by Portkey?"

"No," the other man said, "You will be traveling by plane, the muggle way. The Egyptians have put up an extremely strong ward restricting access by apparition or Portkey. Prevention methods I was told."

"I hope it's at least first class," Harry said jokingly.

It didn't even get him a smile.

"Rest up for now. I have already contacted your Minister so you won't have to make a detour to London. I wish you luck on your quest."

From the pockets of his jacket, the man extracted a card and handed it to Harry.

"You can contact us via this card. We will be doing research on our own and will tell you if we find something of importance."

"Thank you," Harry smiled weakly, pocketing the card. It looked like his period of peace was officially over.

* * *

 **A/N:** Next chapter. Tony/Dummy bonding time. And more info about the artifacts. We'll understand better what the others in the series does.

Stay tune.


	22. In which another artifact surfaces

**Chapter 22 - In which another artifact surfaces**

* * *

 _"This got to be the strangest scene I have ever witnessed,"_ said a voice in Harry's ear.

Harry blinked in confusion and looked up from the letter he was writing.

"What?" he looked around and spotted Howard, floating a few feet away from him, eyes fixed on where Tony sat legs crossed on the carpeted floor. Dummy, now wearing a new shirt and socks, was sitting in front of him, unconsciously mirroring Tony's position. They weren't moving at all, opting to stare at each other in fascination.

"Is he going to be OK?" Harry asked. He didn't know how Stark dealt with children, especially ones he had helped create himself.

 _"He's a little freaked,"_ Howard explained, " _But that's normal. Tony had never been particularly good with children. I have to admit that as parenting models went, I was a pretty bad one. It's only after I died that I got time to think over my actions. I whish I could go back and change things, but that's not possible."_

"He's his own person Howard," Harry said softly, "He'll be fine. He has a lot of support anyways."

" _Hmm,"_ Howard floated a little closer to his son, but not close enough for him to feel the chill that always came from being too close to a ghostly entity. " _By the way, where did that magic user go? Loki?"_

"I don't know," Harry admitted. In the midst of all the excitement, he had lost track of the other man. Probably a good thing too; he hadn't exactly enjoyed the way he was looking at him the last time he was here. It made Harry feel like a piece of meat on display. "He's probably back home."

Before anything else could be said, Dummy made a giggling sound, breaking off the staring contest he had going on with Tony, prompting Tony to make an alarmed noise.

Harry sighed, getting up from his chair and walking over.

"How's everything going?" he asked.

"I'm not sure," Tony admitted, eyes glued on Dummy. The toddler had given up trying to communicate and was now attempting to stand on his own feet…with mixed success. Harry debated on whether to help him but finally decided Dummy can make his own experiments without people interfering. Besides, it's not as if he could hurt himself.

The rest of the day passed quickly. Harry spent it writing letters and making phone calls to his contacts all over the world. Despite no longer actively working as an Auror, Harry had maintained the relationships he had created with other members of law enforcement, wizarding and muggle alike. It was extremely useful when he needed information and didn't have time to go through the proper channels. For instance, in this case, he wanted to know if other artifacts had surfaced in other parts of the world. It is of primordial importance that as much information is gathered on these mystical items before any definite plan of action is formed.

His first few calls gave him nothing, but a call to an Auror currently working in Paris actually yielded some results.

"Quelque chose de bizarre?" asked his French counterpart, sounding pensive.

"Oui, c'est difficile à expliquer," said Harry, struggling to find the right words to explain the situation. He couldn't even do it properly in English let alone in French. "Par exemple, est-ce que vous avez rencontré une situation où une personne a touché un object et par conséquent, a commencé à agir différement?"

 _*It's very difficult to explain. For example, did you encounter any situation where a person touched an object and started acting weird afterwards?_

"Maintenant que tu l'as mentionné," said the other man, "J'ai entendu parlé de quelque choses de semblable. Un de mes collègues a une amie qui travaille pour le Département de Mystère. Apparement, elle a trouvé a livre lors d'une de ses expéditions en Egypte et elle a dit que ce livre l'a envoyé dans un univers parallèle au nôtre."

 _*Now that you mention it. I heard something similar. One of colleagues has a friend who works for the Department of Mysteries. She found a Book in one of her excavations in Egypt and she said this book sent her to a parallel universe."_

"Est-ce qu'elle possède toujours l'objet en question?" Harry asked urgently, quickly noting down this new piece of information.

 _*Does she still have the object in question?_

"Je ne sais pas," he admitted, "Mais je peux te donner son adresse. Elle habite à Paris."

 _*I don't know. But I can give you her address. She lives in Paris._

"Merci Gérôme," said Harry, "Ça sera très utile."

 _*Thank you Gerome. That will be very useful._

* * *

Harry made plans to go to Paris soon afterwards and was of course asked by Tony if he could tag along.

"Don't you want to bond with Dummy?" Harry asked, pointing to where the boy was playing. Next to him, Captain America sat, looking over the kid and making sure he doesn't accidentally hurt himself.

"Nah," Tony shrugged, "Steve can take care of him."

"And you sure you're strong enough to travel," Harry asked.

"Of course I am," Tony insisted, "A book that can be used as a link between dimensions? I've got to see this."

"If you're sure," Harry said. Truthfully, he really didn't mind the company. It would beat having to travel alone. "We're leaving in 2 hours. I'm not sure how long we'll stay but it won't be more than 2 days. I still have to be back before Monday."

"Got it," Tony said and rushed off to pack.

Harry's own packing was done rather quickly and mainly consisted of him throwing things in to his bottomless bag. That was done in 30 minutes and once he and Tony were both done, Harry produced a Portkey.

"We're not going by plane?"

"No," Harry showed him the boot, "This will bring us there instantaneously. Although I have to warn you, it won't be comfortable."

"Fascinating," Tony said, following Harry's lead and putting his hand on the boot. After the password was spoken, they were gone.

* * *

Agent Marissa Hawoll, the friend Gerome had mentioned, greeted them at the door of her Parisian apartment with a big smile.

"You must be Mister Potter," she said, her English almost without an accent. She was probably raised somewhere else than Paris. "I'm Marissa as I'm sure you know. Gerome told me you were coming today. Please do come in."

"Thanks Marissa," Harry stepped forward, "This is Tony by the way. He offered to keep me company."

"That's very nice of him," she said, no sign of recognition at Tony's appearance. Not many witches and wizards knew about the going ons in the muggle world, even when it's things like a whole city being attacked by aliens. "Let's go in to the living room. Do you want some tea?"

"That would be lovely," Harry said, "Can we help?"

"No, no," she assured them, "Go sit on the sofas. I'll be with you in just a moment."

"So," said Tony, once they were out of earshot, "Do you really believe her story?'

"This is the first time I've heard about an artifact with this kind of power," Harry admitted, "But anything's possible."

Tony looked unconvinced but Harry couldn't really blame him. Aliens - like the ones who had attacked New York - was one thing, but the concept of the Multiverse is still pretty difficult to grasp by most. For a moment, Harry wondered why Tony had offered to come along if didn't even believe Marissa's story was true? Had he really offered just for Harry's sake?

Before he could ponder more about it, Marissa came back with a tea set and some biscuits. She set it on the coffee table before sitting down herself.

"So, what is this about?"

"Your discovery in Egypt," Harry said, "The book."

"Oh yes," Marissa got up from her seat once again and went to retrieve a box from her bookshelf. She brought it back and put it next to the tea cups. "This is what I found."

"The ministry is letting you keep it?" Harry asked in surprise.

"I'm the most senior member on that expedition team," Marissa explained, "They didn't make too much noise when I said I wanted to keep it for further observation."

"Have you found anything?"

Marissa hesitated.

"I have nothing concrete," she admitted, "But there's something I did learn. This book can not only transport people to other universes but bring people from other universes here."

"Is it permanent?"

"No," Marissa shook her head, "They usually stay for about 10 minutes before disappearing. I can show you if you want?"

Harry turned to Tony, who gave him an enthusiastic nod.

"Alright," Harry said, "If you don't mind."

It was probably not a good idea to play around with an object whose powers he didn't understand but Harry knew he had to see it with his own eyes.

Marissa carefully opened the box and extracted the object within. She set it on the table and gestured for Harry and Tony to step back. The book from where Harry stood didn't look anything special. If he had found it on the street, he wouldn't even have given it a second glance.

Marissa closed her eyes and muttered a few words, making the book glow for a few seconds before all movements subsided.

"Here they come," she said and like in the movies, a portal opened and spit out a human figure. Everything happened in the blink of an eye.

A woman, Harry realized. She stumbled a little, catching the edge of the sofa to steady herself before looking around her in alarm.

"Where am I?" she asked, her voice strangely familiar.

Tony made a strangled noise behind them.

"Tony?"

"That's the arc reactor," he said, pointing to the woman's chest.

"Of course it is," the woman said, arms crossed defensively. "I invented it. The name's Natasha's Stark. Who are you?"

"According to the information here," Marissa offered helpfully, "She's a version of Tony Stark from universe Earth-3490."

Harry's eyes widened.

Well, isn't this interesting…

* * *

 **TBC**

A/N: The first artifact was the necklace that can grant people's wishes.

The second artifact is the book that can open doors in the Multiverse.

Stay tune to see what the others ones will be.


End file.
